Tainted Innocence
by Hikari Arrow
Summary: A few years into the future, the well has been destroyed, and Kagome lives with a secret she wishes she could have told Inuyasha....But as they both search for a way to each other, mysterious happenings could mean the end for both their worlds...
1. Chapter 1

Tainted Innocence: An Inuyasha Fanfic / Written by Hikari Arrow

----------: Scene change

_/ Italics /_ : Thinking

------CHAPTER i--------

"Mama, Mama!"

A tiny child with glistening amber eyes ran frantically towards an ebony-haired young woman walking out of the secluded prep school's front doors, looking extremely surprised as the girl grabbed her around the knees, sobbing.

"Chi-chan! What are you doing here!" the woman exclaimed, bending down to her daughter's level and embracing her properly, dropping her book bag. "I told you to wait at the school for me today... you know better than to come all this way by yourself," she said more calmly, gently rubbing the back of the child's head, smoothing out the now frayed long silver hair that had come out from under a large pink headband.

Chi sniffed, burying her face into her mother's chest. "They were doing it again, Mama...why are they always so mean to me?"

Taking in a short breath, the woman noticed stains and smudges all over Chi's yellow and white play dress, as well as on her disheveled headband, which she now noticed was torn and damp. As withdrawn as the girl already was, she knew these were not merely the result of rough play.

"Oh, Chi..." she sighed, pressing her hand gently on top of the girl's head, against the dampness of the headband. "What happened this time?"

The girl sniffed again, pulling back slightly from her mother and removing one arm from her to rub her eyes, which were now red and puffy. "I was waitin' for you like you said, cause you were gonna be late..." she said chokingly. "And Teacher wasn't around... so those boys came over and started laughing at me again and teasin' me, and then one of them grabbed my headband--"

The woman cringed, her grip on the child tightening slightly, and fresh tears poured from Chi's eyes as she continued. "That's when they started shovin' me and throwing dirt at me, and the boy stomped on my headband and threw it in the fountain...and they kept calling me names, and... and--"

"That's enough," the woman said sternly, and embraced her daughter tightly again as the sobs returned. "It's okay now...I'm here..."

Listening painfully to the ebbing sound, she felt like crying herself... or punching the living daylights out of someone. After all the trouble of finding a nice, secluded--and rather expensive day-school...after the countless teacher conferences and confidentiality meetings with nurses and principals... calls to and from parents and the concerned remarks... She finally thought her daughter could live normally for once, so everyone could appreciate her for the sweet, shy but brilliant four-year-old that she was.

_/I guess I was wrong...again.../_ she thought painfully, but was brought back to the present at the sound of her daughter's sudden cease of crying.

"Mama...can I ask you something?" the girl asked timidly.

The woman looked down at her child, her young eyes wide and questioning, and as golden as ever. The mother smiled tentatively. "What is it, honey?" she inquired softly.

The girl looked down for a moment, as though deep in thought. "It's just... this one name they keep calling me... I don't understand it..."

The woman's jaw clenched as she awaited fearfully, but was struck silent as the girl spoke:

"Mama, what's...a half-breed?"

---------------------------------------------

Later that evening, across town in a secluded neighborhood that was lush with trees and elegant European houses, a blond woman sat kneeling in her front garden, her blonde hair held back with a purple bandana as she pruned a small but blooming rose bush. Hearing the creak of the iron front gate opening, she glanced down the pathway to see the child and her mother coming up towards the house. Smiling, she stood up and brushed the dirt off of her faded jeans, taking off her gardening gloves as the small girl came bounding up to her.

"Angel-sama!" The girl cried cheerfully, hugging her exuberantly around the knees as she had her mother. But her expression was much happier than it had been as she grinned widely up at the woman, jumping up and down with excitement. "Guess what, guess what? We went shopping today!"

"I see, so that's why you're so late coming home..." the woman replied sweetly, her sea blue eyes shining as she smiled back at the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder and glancing over at her mother. "Did you and your mama have a fun time, then?"

Her tired smile fading slightly, the woman looked down at the ground as she clenched the many bags she was now carrying. "Well, Chi had fun," she said, hitching her smile back as she looked up at the woman again.

Angel caught the look in the woman's eyes even as she tried to hide it. "I see..." she said again softly, then looked down at the grinning little girl. "Hey Chi, there's some fresh takoyaki in the kitchen; why don't you go have a snack while I help your mama with all this stuff she has, 'kay?"

The child's smile widened, and she let go of the woman quickly. "Yay! Thank you, Angel-sama!" she cried gleefully as she ran towards the large oak front door of the two story house, pulling it open and leaving it standing wide as she rushed in.

"Don't forget your shoes, Chi-chan!" The blond woman called out kindly, then turned back to the other woman, who walked up to the porch and sat down on the stone steps, almost throwing the bags down on them.

Angel's eyes softened as her kind smile faded. "Another bad day already?"

The woman just sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest and leaning on them, her hair falling out of her loose ponytail as she just stared out into space. "God, I don't know how much longer I can deal with those people..." she said, barely audible, as Angel came over and sat down next to her, taking off her bandana.

They both just sat there quietly for a moment, as the cool air from the house drifted around them and mixed with the warm, summer evening wind, blowing the strands of their hair about and making it quite comfortable.

"I thought you had already dealt with the parents of those kids," Angel said knowingly, glancing over at the multiple bags. "It must have been really horrible this time."

"Actually, it wasn't the worst one," the woman admitted, still staring out at the lush yard and not able to look her friend in the eye. "The time that boy actually punched her for biting him--"

"And as I recall _you_ punched the father and broke his nose," Angel pointed out.

"Well, he deserved it!" she yelled, finally turning to her friend. "What kind of man raises his son to hit innocent little girls!"

"Well, she did bite him.."

"It's not like he was bleeding...much," the woman shot back, glaring at the ground, still remembering the incident. "Anyway, that's not really the reason this time..."

"What was it then?" Angel asked softly. "I mean, you don't normally go all out this much, even from that time," she said, referring to the aforementioned incident and glancing at the stuffed bags again.

The dark haired woman looked away again, her dark eyes glistening. "It was... something she said to me---after she had run all the way to my classes from school of course," she added tiredly.

Angel tried to discern the look on her face. "What was it that she said?" she asked tentatively.

The woman glared down at the steps, at the hem of her long cotton skirt that rustled in the breeze, her throat and her heart tightened.

"She...she asked me... what a half-breed was."

The woman could no longer keep the tears back as Angel's own eyes widened in sadness and understanding.

"Kagome..."

-----------------------------------------------

"Kagome...Kagome!"

"Ugnh...Sota?" Kagome squinted out of one eye, looking out at her brother, and not awake enough to yell at him for being in her room so late. "What are you doing in here...?"

But she suddenly noticed a strong, lingering scent coming from her open window, and the harried expression on her little brother's face as he pushed her again, forcing her awake.

"Sis, it's the shrine...the shrine, it's..." he gasped, apparently out of breath.

Gasping, Kagome leaped out of bed, forcing her window open wider... which was strangely hot for being the middle of winter. She stuck her head out and got a face full of smoke and drifting soot. Coughing, her eyes watered as she squinted to see, but Sota tried to pull her away by her arm.

"Come on, Sis! We've gotta get out! Mom and Gramps are outside...we need to leave before the house burns down too!"

He managed to drag her to the front door, but once they were outside she managed to wrench herself from his grip and pushed him away, locking the front door so he couldn't get back in.

"Kagome, no! What are you doing?" he yelled, pounding on the door.

"The house isn't on fire, okay! Go to Mom and Grandpa!" She shouted behind her. Through all the rush she had forgotten the shards... still sitting in their jar on her messy desk. Rushing back in and grabbing them hurriedly, she then ran back down and towards the back door instead, avoiding Sota's cries.

_/There's still something I have to do...I don't want you to follow me.../ _she said to herself, gasping for breath as she fought to see through the smoke, ashes singing her skin and hair as she ran towards a small shed that was separate from the shrine but still somehow caught in the flames.

She flung open the door to the well's entrance and just barely missed getting hit by a piece smoldering beam that dropped to the floor. Barely being able to breathe, let alone see through the flames, she started blindly toward the well, carefully navigating through the fiery gaps. Her hands and bare feet singeing from the flying embers and smoldering debris that littered the floor, she clasped the small jar tightly in her hand, ignoring the stinging burns.

_/I have to give these back to him... I promised I would if anything happened...If I only hadn't just found out yesterday.../_

Her eyes stinging and watery, she coughed out the smoke that was entering her lungs as she finally reached the rim of the well. _/Why I'm choosing now of all times to do this...but if the well burns down, I won't ever be able to get these there...or even see him again... I have to tell him--/_

But even her thoughts were cut off as she heard a loud cracking sound. Ready to jump down, she looked up to see the ceiling's main support bean engulfed in flames and breaking in half. Suddenly frozen, she just watched as it began to fall, a fiery mass of wood and roof coming down upon her, the heat singing the ends of her hair as the flames licked her neck and scalp...

When she came to, she realized she was outside. Gazing up at a starry sky blanketed by smoke, her vision was blurred as more stars appeared as she sat up, looking around her in a daze.

"Higurashi-san, Higurashi-san!" she heard a woman's voice cry frantically, followed by her own coughing. "Are you alright!"

Kagome felt her head, and her scalp stung from the fresh burns and bare spots she touched. "Yeah, I guess," she was barely able to say, her mouth and throat still filled with soot. "Wait...what happened?"

"You almost got killed, Kagome...! What were you doing in there! Your family was worried sick about you!"

_/In there.../ _she thought, her mind still blurry, but then she felt something sting on her right hand, and looked down to see the remains of the shattered jar and the few jewel shards, all covered in her own blood.

"The well!" She cried, coughing out a tiny fleck of blood, and tried to stand, but she felt a hard snap as her right ankle gave way underneath her. Tears flowing out in pain and because of the smoke--which didn't seem to be that strong anymore, she fell to her knees and clenched the ground with her fist, her bloodied hand still holding the jewel shards. "I have to go to the well..."

She felt a hand on her back as the familiar voice spoke again. "Kagome... the well isn't there anymore," the voice said softly. "It's gone. The ceiling collapsed from catching on fire and it was destroyed from the weight... now it's just ashes."

Kagome's vision finally cleared slightly, and she could see it now... they were sitting in front of what used to be the entrance to the well... now it was only a pile of rubble and smoldering ashes. She could just now hear the sirens of the fire truck and the shouting of volunteers and firemen putting out the last of the flames at the main shrine.

"No..." she whispered, her voice breaking as she stared at the smoking heap, feeling no magical force whatsoever, tears streaming down her face as it sunk in.

"NOOOOOO!"

--------------------------------------------

Kagome opened her eyes and looked up at the familiar dark ceiling, feeling the dampness on her face and hair, and even on the pillow beneath her.

_/Great, so it wasn't just in the dream/ _she sulked to herself, and turned over on her side, facing the open door that led to the second story hallway. _/Stupid memories.../_

Suddenly alert, she heard the creaking sound of footsteps as she felt a lingering presence just outside her room. But she wasn't very surprised to see the tiny outline of her silver haired daughter as she tiptoed through the doorway.

"I'm not sleeping, you know," she whispered, halfway smiling, but Chi continued to step lightly as she walked over to her mother's bed. "What are you doing up this late, anyway?"

"I knew you weren't sleepin'... I heard you wake up," Chi whispered back, and climbed carefully under the covers as Kagome moved over to give her more room. "I just don't wanna wake up Angel-sama, she's sleeping."

Kagome scoffed slightly. "For once... she hardly ever sleeps at night. I wonder why..." she drifted off, closing her eyes as Chi snuggled close to her.

"Mama... I heard you crying again. Did you dream about Papa?"

Kagome's throat clenched as she hugged her daughter closer. "Sort of...but lets just try and go back to sleep, okay?"

Chi clenched the bed sheets with one tiny fist, burying the side of her face into the warm pillow. "How come you never talk about Papa, Mama? Do you hate him?"

"Mmm..." Kagome hesitated, feigning sleepiness. "Chi... go to sleep, honey..."

"Mama... do you hate _me_?"

Kagome's eyes shot open, and she pushed herself up on her elbows, looking down, dumbstruck, at the tiny girl. She still had her face partially buried, but was just staring off into the darkness sadly, her golden eyes beginning to glisten.

"Of course not!" Kagome exclaimed in surprise. "Why would you think that!"

Chi sat up listlessly and looked at her mother, who blanched slightly. "Because you get sad sometimes when you look at me... 'cause I know you're thinking about him... and how you always say I look just like him... and--"

Sensing more tears about to come on, Kagome slowly reached over and hugged Chi tightly, resting her hand on top of her silver head again. "Oh Chi... I don't hate your Papa... I just... really, really miss him," she said especially soft, as she rested her head on Chi's. "And seeing you makes me remember him, and how grateful I am to him..."

"Mama...you're crying again..."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Kagome apologized, pulling back and wiping away the tears with one hand.

_/Inuyasha... I hated you so much after it happened... but now, I'm so grateful to have someone to remind me of you each and every day... because she's more your daughter than I ever would have hoped.../_

"Mama..." Chi curled up into her mother's lap like a puppy, resting her head against her chest. Smiling, Kagome just put her hand back on her daughter's head, rubbing gently between the two, tiny silver dog ears.

"Chi..."

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any related characters except for my own original ones --like Chi-- Please give a review; thanks! --Hikari-san


	2. Chapter 2

Tainted Innocence: An Inuyasha Fanfic / Written by Hikari Arrow

----------: Scene change

_/ Italics /_ : Thinking

---------CHAPTER ii---------

A pair of golden eyes opened and looked up at the clear night sky. Glancing up at the thinning crescent of a moon, the man grunted, glaring down at the ground from his spot high up in a pine tree. Jumping down with ease, he landed in a squatting position and looked around him cautiously, his right hand lingering over the hilt of an old-looking katana. Sensing nothing of danger around, he stood up calmly and headed toward the nearby village, where the scent of the villagers' fires and suppers lingered even from hours earlier.

Walking casually toward a familiar hut near the outskirts of town, the dog-like ears atop of his head twitched at the sound of a hacking couch, and his hand lingered near the edge of the bamboo door hanging as he paused thoughtfully for a moment.

"Do ye intend to stand there all night, demon, or shall ye enter?" a haggard voice called out from inside the hut, followed by more coughs.

"Feh," the man snorted, pulling back the hanging and walking inside, his blood red kimono and long silver hair visible even in the pitch darkness. "You're sure ornery as ever, old hag."

An old woman was sitting up on her bamboo mat bed, wearing a priestess's kimono and covered by a thin blanket. "A pleasure to se ye again as well, Inuyasha. Might I inquire to thy intrusion?"

Inuyasha scowled, but there was a softness in his eyes he hoped she wouldn't notice. "Just checking to see if you're still alive, Grandma. With all that damn noise you're makin', I was barely able to sleep at all." Glancing around at the derelict shack, he wondered if she had even left the hut at all during the length of weeks since he had last been there.

"Aye, it's a wonder I get rest myself," she said, not even feeling up to putting coarse words back at him. "Tis amazing how long a old woman can linger in such dire times."

"I'm amazed you're alive at all, having to stay in this crap-hole," he said bluntly, kicking at the ashes of the hearth, which looked like it hadn't been lit in days. "Can't you get some sucker to look after you or something? You're useless by yourself, wench."

The old woman chuckled, followed by another short hack. "Ah, but it seems I already have someone looking over me, as it be."

Inuyasha just scowled again, his cheeks reddening slightly. "Well anyway...you're gonna freeze to death without a fire, can't even handle that much," he growled, muttering as he went out to collect firewood; Kaede chuckling again.

-------------------------------

"So, demon, how are ye companions?"

"They're not my companions anymore," he grunted, poking at the now burning hearth with a stick, the flames flickering. "And stop calling me demon," he added shortly, his face looking ominous in the firelight as he glared at her.

Kaede glared back with her only good eye. "Would you prefer I call ye 'hanyou'?"

Inuyasha growled at the sound of that word. "No, I _prefer_ you shut up." There was silence for a moment as he brooded quietly to himself. "And as for the others, they couldn't give a damn about me anymore, alright?" he finally blurted out.

"I see," Kaede said softly, nodded. "But they are at least well?"

Inuyasha shrugged, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Well, they're not dead, anyway. I tried tracking down Sango and Miroku, but it seems that letch went off and left a short while after they married, so she wasn't exactly too happy to see me, like I had something to do with it. Like I give a crap," he added, muttering. "And that brat fox was with her, of course, but he's still annoying as ever. I beat the hell out of him for trying to ask me..."

But he stopped himself, realizing he didn't care to have to explain anymore, and Kaede did not press the matter. After a while of watching the flames however--and almost falling asleep-- Kaede spoke again.

"Inuyasha, can ye remember how long it's been?"

Startled, he opened his eyes and looked over at the old woman, who was staring off into the darkness.

"How long it's been since what?" he asked cautiously.

"Since the last time ye saw Kagome."

Inuyasha clenched his fists tightly, his bangs covering his eyes as he looked down at the floor. "Why the hell did you bring that up?" he asked, his voice dangerous, but unusually shaky.

"I asked ye a question, demon," she said sternly, still not looking at him.

He glared up at her, his fangs bared as he felt his claws digging into the palm of his hands, his fists now shaking, but he resigned himself and just looked down at the floor again, watching the shadows of the flames. "Five years this winter," he said quietly, then glared back up at her. "Why?"

Kaede sighed, still not looking at him. "It would have been a blessing to see her once before I died."

"Please, don't go all melodramatic on me," Inuyasha snorted, the tension easing. "You're not gonna die...yet."

Kaede gave another hacking chuckle, and finally looked over at him, her voice quiet. "Inuyasha, you of all others should know my time is short now on this earth. Why else would ye constantly return to this village that reminds you nothing but of pain?"

This time Inuyasha could not hide the sadness in his eyes as he looked over at her, and she just smiled. "Your words may be harsh and your manners vulgar, but within ye are only wishing to be close to those whom you may be no more."

_/Damn that old wench... what makes her think she knows what I want/_ Truthfully he knew that she was right...but all of his life he would never admit it.

"So what?" he responded, standing up to leave as the glare returned. "You think the only reason I come here is to let some old hag lecture and insult me! I don't give a _damn_ about anyone...the only one important to me now is me! Got it!"

Storming out, he dashed out the village as quickly as his feet could carry him, and soon found himself in front of the ancient tree.

Looking up at it with disdain, he could still remember the first time he had seen her, being chased by the centipede demon, taking the arrow out of his chest, endowing him with the beads of subjugation...

His hands shaking again, he clenched his fist to his chest as though it hurt him, and glanced toward the direction of the well. He remembered the first time he had tried to go back since Kagome had left him on that night...only to find that the well was no longer magical, that the reason she hadn't come back was because she no longer could.

_/At least, that's what the others believed.../_ he thought as he slowly walked towards the bone-eaters well, looking down into it's abyss. _/Even if the well hadn't stopped being a portal between her world and this one, she wouldn't have come back.../_

"Not after that night," he said quietly, not even caring if anyone was around at this point to hear him. "She wouldn't come back because she'd just wish I was dead."

--------------------------------

A few acres away from the brooding half-demon, a slender figure sat atop another pine tree, leaning back against the trunk and listening intently.

"So...that _was_ the other portal..." a voice said out loud, knowing well they couldn't be heard, even by the dog demon's keen ears. Tapping a thumb against the end of a wrapped sparring staff, the stranger glared off in the opposite direction of Inuyasha and the well. "Well, that's interesting... no wonder they haven't found it yet..."

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Disclaimer: I do not own anything Inuyasha related, except for my own original characters. Please review, Thank you! --Hikari-san


	3. Chapter 3

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CHAPTER iii

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Kagome sucked inattentively on the end of a pocky, glaring at the shut school doors in front of her, pouting.

"No way," she said sternly, holding the half-eaten snack with one hand, and started to turn around, but Angel held her back by the shoulders and forced her around again.

"Come on, you have to give it at least one more try..." Angel said sleepily, a pair of thin-rimmed, round brown sunglasses hiding her eyes. She pushed her younger friend toward the pre-school's main exit with Chi close in tow; who was skipping around airily, as usual, and examining all the tufts of flower weeds that were sprouting around the front garden.

Kagome groaned, but she let herself be pushed, and opened one of the doors. "I'm sick and tired of dealing with these people all the time... I don't know why I bother bringing her back here anyway."

"But, I like it here okay, Mama," Chi said, looking up from her crouched position over a patch of white-petal weeds, and Kagome looked over at her in mild surprise that she had been paying attention.

Angel smiled, holding the door open with one hand and looking between the two of them. "Come on, the only way to stop these confrontations is to get it through to these parents and let them know you're not one to be messed with."

"Even if the parents get it, it doesn't mean their kids will," Kagome retorted, glaring down at the ground. "_They're _the ones I really have the problem with..."

Grunting, she snapped down the last of the pocky stick and took a deep sigh, hitching back her thin-strapped shoulder purse as she walked over to Chi. "Sweetie, you stay out here while Mama has a.. _talk_ with your teacher and some other grownups, okay?"

Chi nodded, smiling brightly. "Here, Mama, for you." She picked out a tiny pink weed out of the miniature bouquet she had in her fist and held it out. "That's for luck."

Kagome smiled, kneeling down and taking the plant, which was more flower-like than the rest, she noticed. "Thank you honey. You be a good girl and pick flowers while we're inside, okay?"

She felt she should have added 'Don't wander off,' but she reasoned that her daughter was certainly intelligent enough not to do anything too bold like that. Chi was always so engrossed in her own little world around her, that Kagome could take her anywhere she pleased and knew she would never have to worry about turning around and suddenly having no four-year-old there beside her.

Rubbing the girl's head gently--which was now adorned with a brand new blue, scarf-like headband that covered her chibi dog ears perfectly and comfortably-- she stood up again and walked back over to Angel, who was still smiling and still holding the door open. Taking a deep breath, Kagome walked inside the building with Angel trailing behind her.

"Don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time," Angel said comfortingly. Then suddenly, a familiar feeling of energy shot through the back of her mind, and she turned around quickly to look at the small cluster of pine trees just behind Chi.

"Thanks again for coming, I know you're not much of a morning person...or a day person, for that matter---" Kagome started, but noticed that Angel had stopped in her tracks, and turned her head to look at her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

_/ I could have sworn.../_ Angel stood there for a moment more, glaring at the trees that only a second ago she thought had been concealing some kind of presence, but it was gone now... perhaps she had imagined it? Kagome hadn't seemed to notice... and even Chi was looking up at her now with a curious expression.

"Hey," Kagome said again, more concerned, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

_/I guess she really _didn't_ notice.../_ Angel thought, glancing back at her for a moment. "Uh, no, everything's fine," she said, in the exact same sort of tone Kagome had used with her the other day, and with the same exact false sort of smile. "Come on, let's go kick some bully ass!" she added cheerfully, grabbing Kagome's hand and leading her into the hallway as the door closed slowly behind them, taking one last glance through the corner of her sunglasses as the heavy latch clicked shut, echoing ominously in her ears.

---------------------------------

Chi sat humming now as she began to braid the flowers/weeds she had been collecting, resting under the shade of one the pine trees. She would look up every time the wind blew the braches and needles about slightly; the rustling sound being louder to her sensitive ears, but still very soothing. Glancing down at the shadows on the cool grass, she sighed contently as she leaned back, looking down at her work a little less intently. It was so nice and warm now, and the birds were chirping far off in the distance, and the trees were rustling so rhythmically along with them, that it sounded almost like music to her.

Yawning, she blinked as her eyelids began to feel heavier all of a sudden, and she jerked her head back in surprise that she actually had almost fallen asleep. She was used to less naps now that she was a little bit older --not that she could remember too much from being two and three-- but she knew her mother wouldn't be happy if she did fall asleep, as she was more accustomed to sleeping for longer periods of time; she'd probably be awake all night if she napped now. But there was something that was just so comfortable about being right there in that spot, listening to the music of the trees and watching the shadows sway back and forth on the ground...

Before she knew it, she had succumbed to sleep, and as the darkness began to set in and the sounds around her began to vanish, she found herself already in a dream. Looking around as her eyes opened to this plane of unreality, she saw lush, tall fields of grass all around, with a great clove of trees in the distance that was more immense than she had ever seen.

_/It must be a forest / _She thought simply, never actually having seen one before... only the clumps of brush and trees in the parks and around her lushly planted neighborhood. She could also hear the sound of rushing water, and knew that had to be a river or a stream, but-- as she had guessed by the faintness of the sound-- it was nowhere in sight.

Glancing around more closely, her eyes fell upon the edge of the forest again, but a blurred figure had suddenly appeared on the spot she had just seen earlier... A person, it seemed, but they had their back turned to her and seemed to be staring deep into the woods.

Taking only a few steps, she found herself standing only a few feet behind them now--which was odd, it seemed to her, because she had thought she had been much further away--then again, it was a dream after all.

Looking more closely at the person, she saw that it must be a man, because even though his hair was long and flowing, he appeared taller than a woman --at least, taller than her mother. He was also standing in a very manly way, she thought, although her definition of manly was about as refined as a four-year-old's way of thinking can be. But the real reason she guessed it was a man (he _still_ hadn't turned to look at her, even though she had been that close for some time now), was that he was wearing a deep red men's kimono...although it looked different from the kimonos her mother had shown her in books.

Then, as her eyes scanned all over his body, she gasped as she looked at the top of his head. There, resting on top of his silver haired head that reminded her so much of her own, were two silver dog ears on either side, also like hers, but more sharpened with age.

Staring up at the man in amazement, she walked even closer to him, and even the smell of him was familiar and kind. As she got close enough to hear the sound of his breathing, just as she was reaching up to tug on his long sleeve, he turned his head to look down at her, their eyes about to meet...

A loud jangling sound made her eyes shoot open, just as she was about to have seen his face. Whining slightly, she put a hand up to rub her ears under her headband--only to feel the softness of the ear itself. Giving a small gasp, she looked around her as she pushed herself out of the curled-up position she had fallen asleep in, looking around for her brand-new headband.

Hearing the ringing, jangling sound again, she looked over by the flower garden and saw a pure black cat sitting there, it's green eyes wide and staring at her wisely. Around it's neck was the source of the sound; an ornate collar with a large golden bell on it, much like the brass ones she had seen at shrines. At it's feet was the floaty blue headband, the cat seeming to be actually waiting for her to come and get it.

"No kitty, that's mine," she said, in the sternest voice she could muster at seeing such an adorable creature. Rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes, she walked over casually to the cat, which didn't even budge as she bent down and picked up the scarf, but it's eyes following her every movement.

Chi smiled and bent down, clutching her scarf somewhat protectively as she petted the creature. "You're so sweet, kitty," she murmured as the cat just blinked softly and began to purr. "I wish Mama would let me have a kitty like you..."

Suddenly, the cat's head jerked around, looking towards the door that Angel and Kagome had gone through and, in an instant, the cat leaped out of Chi's grasp and pounced away into the bushes.

"Wait!" Chi cried, but the cat had disappeared, almost as if it had vanished into thin air. Just then, though, the doors opened and Angel and her mother walked out, both looking a little worn.

"I told you they wouldn't listen...saying it's just harmless teasing and Chi should get over it... this is exactly why I hate stupid parents!!" Kagome ranted, almost walking past her daughter, who scrambled up over to her as Angel trudged along behind them, yawning.

"Well, at least we tried..." The blond woman said sleepily. "I even used up all my energy just to yell at them..."

Kagome sighed, then felt a tugging on her skirt, and looked down at Chi who was hopping up and down with excitement.

"Mama, Mama, guess what! I fell asleep while making some flowers and I had a dream, and I saw this really nice man in the dream, and he was tall and pretty and was wearing a kimono, and then I woke up and my headband was gone and there was a kitty and it was really cute and--"

"That's nice, honey," Kagome just said unenthusiastically, patting her daughter on the head, and realizing her head was bare, glanced down at the girl. "Chi, where's your headband?! You know you're not supposed to take it off outside," she scolded her, stopping and putting a hand on her hip as she glared down at her.

"I _know_," Chi whined slightly, looking up at her mother and raising her clutched fist with the scarf in it. "I was telling you, the kitty took it from me, and I had to get it back from her."

"A kitty?" Angel said, suddenly interested, and Kagome grinned at this--her friend had always had a fondness for animals, but strangely had none of her own. "What kind of kitty?"

"Um, it was a black one," Chi said, turning her head to the other woman. "And it had green eyes and a really pretty collar with a big gold bell on it, and it was really cute---"

Angel's face suddenly changed from a happy expression to an almost stunned one. "A black cat with a bell collar?" Her eyes darted around as she looked around the area quickly, turning around on the spot. "Where did it go?"

Chi shrugged and was about to say something, but she whined again as her mother knelt down next to her, tying the headband back on the girl's head. "Aww, Mama, no one's around.."

"I know, honey, but you really need to be more careful... mean kids at school are one thing, but adults would be even more cruel if they didn't understand..." Looking up as she finished, Chi walked back to the flowers to pick up the weed wreath she had made, but Kagome just looked back over at Angel, who was looking around her as though in a daze.

Getting up and walking over to her friend, she put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, maybe it wasn't such a good to have you come with me today... Are you sure you're okay?"

Somewhat startled, Angel just stared at Kagome for a moment, then smiled weakly. "No, it's alright... I'm fine, really."

Glaring at Angel uncertainly, Kagome just sighed again. "Well, we might as well get going... come on, sweetie," she called, and Chi bounded back up to her. Angel trudged along slowly as she watched Kagome and Chi start towards the street, Chi holding her mother's hand and smiling up at her. She then glanced over her shoulder, smiling at Angel.

Smiling back weakly again, Angel stopped for a moment and took off her glasses, taking one last look around.

/ _First that feeling that _she_ was there, then Chi having a strange dream... and that cat... _/

"I wonder..." she muttered to herself, putting her glasses back on over her clear blue eyes, and followed the two out into the light of the early afternoon.

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a/n: Well, I'm not too sure what to make of this chapter...I just needed something that would be a good forewarning for what's about to happen later on (lots of exciting things)... also I had fun with Chi's cuteness --smirk-- Anyway, more feudal era scenes coming soon, I promise, so look forward!!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Inuyasha related, except for my own original characters. Please review, Thank you!! --Hikari-san


	4. Chapter 4

------------CHAPTER iv-------------

Inuyasha opened his eyes, groaning as the midday sun glared down through the branches.

/_Damn, I fell asleep on watch again_/ he thought, and sat up and scratched the back of his head tiredly. Glancing down at the edge of the village, he huffed and jumped down from the tree, darting off in the opposite direction. /_What am I doing still hanging around here, anyway?/_

Suddenly, he caught a whiff of something coming toward him fast, and was about to turn and bare his sword, but he realized it was the scent of a familiar demon, and kept on, knowing that it wasn't a threat.

"Hey, Inuyasha! Slow down, would you?"

He glanced beside him to see a shock of red hair running beside him, but he looked foward again.

"I'm busy, what do you want?" Leaping around an oncoming tree, the creature beside him jumped over it's branches instead, and landed nimbly in front of him, making him skid to a halt.

Inuyasha growled, eying the red-haired female wolf demon as she stood up in front of him, her hands on her hips as she smiled nonchalantly.

"What's got you so busy? Rushing to take a bath?" the girl laughed, and Inuyasha just groaned again, preparing to bolt. "Hold on, wait! I was just kidding, honestly!" The girl said in earnest, waving her hands, and Inuyasha just glared at her.

"What d'ya want, Ayame?" He growled impatiently, folding his arms as he continued to glare at the all-too cheerful wolf demon. "I'm not in the mood today."

"Yeah, right, like you're ever in a good mood," she retorted, sitting down cross-legged on a nearby boulder. "Besides, it's not like you have anything really important to do, right?"

Grumbling again, Inuyasha just leaned against the tree Ayame had cleared. "If there's a point you're trying to make, could you just get to it, please?" he grunted, closing his eyes in annoyance.

Ayame huffed slightly, putting her hands on her knees. "Well, sorry, I didn't know you were in such a rush to do something okay? This won't take long, I promise... I just need to ask a favor of you--"

"No," Inuyasha cut her to the quick, and unfolding his arms, walked past her. "Now _go away_."

"Oh come off it, I haven't even told you what it is yet!" Ayame scowled and jumped off the boulder, walking beside him. "Really, what's gotten into you lately?"

"Nothing, alright? I just want to be alone, and I don't feel like helping anyone, okay?" he replied shortly, glaring at her as she jogged to keep up with his stride.

Ayame just sighed. "Oh, I understand now, it's the same old problem again... you could have just said so," she said airily, folding her arms behind her head as she walked.

Inuyasha scowled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've been thinking about Kagome again, haven't you?"

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks--as did she--and he turned on her. "Shut the hell up!! You don't know anything!!"

Ayame just closed her eyes, inhaling deeply and completely unfazed. "Well, guess I was right, then."

Inuyasha just growled again as he could feel his claws digging into the palms of his hands once more, glared down at the ground for a moment, then continued on, knowing Ayame would only keep following him until she got her way.

"So, what's this favor you wanted, anyway?" he said in a calmer voice as he walked on, and Ayame trotted next to him again.

"Well, the pack's been finding a lot of slain demons around the rivers and lakes up north near the hills," she said, trying to discern the emotion on his face as she walked next to him.

"So? Demons get killed. Big deal. Probably just some villagers getting revenge or something, or some other demons fighting over their territory," Inuyasha said bluntly, thinking that this wasn't much of a problem... or anything that was a problem to him, anyway. "So what's that got to do with me doin' something for you?"

"Well, it's just the _way_ they were killed," Ayame said, looking forward as though deep in thought. "There were no apparent wounds or loss of blood, and it didn't seem like they had been poisoned or anything... they all seemed physically healthy enough as a matter of fact, except for the fact that they were all dead. It's like something just sucked the life out of them."

Inuyasha groaned inwardly at this. /_Great. Just what I need..._/ "Well, that is _kind_ of weird..." he less-than admitted, stopping as they came to a small stream, and he looked over at her. "Still, what's that got to do with me?"

Ayame pulled back slightly, blushing a little. "Well, I was just wondering if you'd seen anything like that around here. Everyone back home is really worried, and you always seem to know a lot about strange demons... so..."

Inuyasha sighed, looking down at the stream. "So, you want me to come and help you find whatever it is that's doing this so it doesn't kill your pack, is that it?" he grunted, looking up at her.

Ayame smiled widely, clapping her hands together. "That's it, exactly! I knew you'd understand! So, what do you say?"

The silver haired demon actually took some thought into it before answering this time.

"No," he said firmly, and leapt over the stream in a single bound, leaving her standing there.

"Awww, come on!" the wolf-girl cried, jumping over the stream just as easily as he had and catching up to him again. "Why not?! You don't have anything else to do around here!"

"What makes you think you know everything about me, anyway?" he growled, not bothering to slow down or look back at her this time. "I just want to be left alone," he added, a bit more quietly. Picking up speed, he leapt off into a tree and onto the next one, leaving her behind as he navigated through the treetops of the wooded area.

Ayame slowed to a stop and just stood there, looking up into the branches of the tree sadly as Inuyasha's scent began to fade.

"Poor guy. I guess he really hasn't gotten over it yet," she said disappointingly, and turned and began walking off slowly in the other direction. "How is it that I can overcome that kind of grief, but he can't?"

"It's because he's a man."

Ayame jumped, looking around for the source of the voice, and glanced up to see a dark figure sitting crouched in another high tree branch--but she didn't have time to react at all as the figure leapt down out of the shadows towards her.

-------------------------------------------

"Damn wolf," Inuyasha muttered as he leapt out of one tree and onto the next one, surveying the forest floor beneath as it whizzed past him. "Always getting into my business--"

But his own words were cut off as a sickly familiar scent suddenly came from far behind him, and he stopped, turning around as he landed on the next branch backwards in a crouched position.

_/That's the scent of wolf's blood, and it's coming from where I left Ayame.../_

"Damn it...!" he cursed again, but without giving it a second thought he jumped down and rushed back towards the direction of the female wolf demon, whose scent hadn't moved.

_/She must have been ambushed right after I left... but how? I didn't smell anything.../ _Returning to the spot quickly, he picked up speed as he spotted a body lying sprawled on the rocks near the stream he had left just minutes ago.

"Ayame!" he shouted, and dashed over to her, crouching down next to her limp figure, which was now covered in her own blood. A large gash now spread from the side of her neck down to her shoulder and across her arm, and another one across her chest and stomach, staining the white fur that covered her armor.

/ _She's not dead... yet..._/ he thought, somewhat relieved, as he put a hand to her face. Her closed eyes shuttered as she moaned, trying to turn her head toward him to speak.

"Kouga..." she said weakly, but her head fell to the side as she lost consciousness.

Inuyasha scoffed slightly at the sound of that name, but he let that thought pass as he stood up and looked around intently, trying to sense anything.

"Damn it, there's _still_ nothing here!" he growled, looking back down at her wounds. "And there's no way she could have done this to herself...these markings are from a sword..."

Eyeing her almost lifeless body, he groaned deeply as he knelt down, picking her up gently, but there was real concern in his expression as he looked down at her, leaping off as he carried her in the direction of the village.

"First those weird demon slayings, and now this..." he muttered to himself as he ran, looking down at Ayame again. "Maybe something _is_ happening again."

---------------------------------------------

"Uhnh..." Ayame's forest green eyes opened to see the inside of a dark wooden ceiling, and, recognizing a familiar scent, looked over at the man who was sitting on the wooden floor beside her.

"Inu... yasha?" she said in a hoarse voice, wondering why her body was so sore.

"Oh, hey," he said, in a mock bored tone, looking down at her as he had been staring off into space. "Well, I guess you're not gonna die after all... you've been asleep long enough, though."

Looking at him in confusion, she grunted slightly as she put her right hand to her sore shoulder, only to feel it covered and bandaged, as well as her upper torso. "What... happened to me? And where are we?" she added, a slight hint of fear in her voice. "This place reeks of humans--"

"Well, at least ye senses haven't been damaged," she heard a curt, worn voice say, and turning her head to the other side, saw an elderly old woman sitting up on another futon and wrapping up a roll of bandage cloth.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean---oww!" she cried out, having tried to sit up, but she clutched at her abdomen as her wound seared in pain. "I don't understand... what happened to me? I don't remember anything..." she said weakly, looking down at the thin blanket that was covering the lower half of her body.

Inuyasha just scoffed, looking over at the wall of Kaede's hut again. "What, you're saying you don't remember anything about this afternoon, being attacked and all?"

Ayame just shook her head slowly, lying back down carefully. "All I remember is asking you for help, and you running off after you rejected it... and... that's all." She closed her eyes and breathed out deeply, feeling the warmth of the hearth nearby. "I don't understand how I could have let this happen... I don't remember sensing anything, not a thing..."

"That's the strange part--neither did I," Inuyasha said darkly, glaring at the wall. "If I hadn't smelled your blood, I wouldn't even have known you were attacked at all. There wasn't anything suspicious around, no scents or markings, and I didn't hear anything coming or going either."

"Wait--so, that means..." Ayame started to say slowly, turning her head towards Inuyasha again. "_You_ saved me?"

As dark as it was in the room, Ayame could just barely see his cheeks going red as he scoffed as usual, and continued to glare ahead. "Hmph. Whatever."

"I believe that is his way of saying 'You're welcome'," Kaede said wistfully, as she poked at the nearby burning hearth with a stick, and this time the flush in his cheeks was quite noticeable.

There was more of a growl in his next scoff as Inuyasha got up rather quickly. "Look, it's not like I really cared or anything, okay?" He said, glancing back over at her for a moment as he walked towards the doorway. "I'm just keeping my word."

"Your word?" Ayame questioned, as he was already halfway outside. "What word?"

"Feh... just forget it, all right?" And with that, he let the door hanging fall behind him, snapping slightly against the frame as he walked out into the darkness.

Ayame just sighed, then glanced over at Kaede, whose eyes lingered on the door for a moment before returning to the fire, sighing also. "I'm afraid that is the most empathetic you will ever see him be," Kaede said mournfully. "Inuyasha has never been one to let his true feelings towards others be shown, therefore he himself cannot truly tell what others are feeling."

"I guess," Ayame said sleepily, letting her gaze drift towards the ceiling again. "But, then, if he didn't care about me or how I felt, then...why did he save me?"

There was a trace of a smile on Kaede's face as she continued to look into the flames. "You need not be empathetic to know what is right or wrong, child...especially when it comes to a promise between men."

"Promise..." Ayame's eyes began flickering with sleep as she thought of what Inuyasha said. _/Just who is he keeping his word to anyway?/_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Inuyasha related, except for my own original characters (Ayame is _not_ an original, for those who don't know). Please review, Thank you!! --Hikari-san


	5. Chapter 5

-------------- CHAPTER v ---------------------

"Angel? Are you in there?" Kagome tentatively opened the door to her friend's bedroom, and saw that it was dark except for a small, shimmering light near the center of the room.

/What's that?/ Kagome thought, as she crept into the room curiously, walking over to the small glowing object, which sat on the small elegant nightstand next to Angel's four-poster canopy bed. As she came closer to it, she saw that the reddish light was emitting from something she had only seen once before; a solid gold, heart shaped locket, with a crescent shaped, ruby-colored gem set in the center. The gem twinkled even brighter as Kagome picked it up gently, as though significantly drawn to it.

/This crystal, it has a such a strange aura... almost like the shiikon jewel, in a way/ Turning it over in her hands, she noticed the clasp on the side was oddly bent, and she wondered what was inside it. Pressing her fingers into the groove, she strained to open it, but it seemed stuck.

"Sorry, but that thing won't open so easily."

Kagome gasped, spinning around as the light above her clicked on, and she saw Angel standing in the doorway, holding up a towel around her bare body and smiling, having just gotten out of the shower.

"Angel, I...uh..!" Kagome tried to spurt out, and bent over quickly in an apologetic bow. "I'm so sorry!! I just came in here to talk to you and I saw your necklace glowing... and...well..."

Angel just chuckled softly as she walked toward her, and Kagome let out a small sigh as she straightened up, her cheeks flushed. "Sorry..." she said meekly again.

"That's okay," Angel said softly, picking up the golden locket out of Kagome's outstretched hand. Looking down at it fondly, she turned and sat down on the bed, placing it gently on the covers as she tightened the towel around her. "I knew you would discover it sooner or later... I'm just surprised it wasn't sooner."

"So.. it _is_ magical.." Kagome blurted out, then covered her mouth quickly again as though she had cursed. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to--"

"Come on, Kagome.. it's fine," Angel chuckled again, looking up at her confused expression. "I mean, really. Your daughter is the child of a half-demon. This kind of stuff shouldn't be so surprising to you."

Her face fell as she noticed Kagome's blanched expression at this comment, and she brushed her damp bangs out of her face as she glanced down at the necklace. "This locket...it was given to me by my mother."

"Your mother?"

Angel nodded, and the gem glowed even stronger as she picked it up again and held it in her palm. "It was passed down to her by her mother, and all their mothers before them. It's about two hundred years old, I suppose."

"What?!" Kagome exclaimed, and peered down at the shining piece of jewelry. "It sure doesn't look like it's that old..."

/Duh, of course it wouldn't, stupid.. it's enchanted../ she thought dumbly, and hit herself mentally.

"That's because it's able to create and maintain it's own power. It draws it's energy from an ever-present force," she said wisely, glancing up at Kagome.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Wow. So, what's the force?" she asked, then glared shockingly at Angel. "Wait... it's not you, is it?! That thing sucks out your power?!?"

Angel just laughed again, and again Kagome felt stupid for blurting out her thoughts.

"No, it's not me," she said, still laughing, and pointed up and out towards the open window. "Go see for yourself."

"Huh?" Kagome just blinked, looking down at her smiling friend. "Okay, I guess.." Walking over to the window, she stuck her head out and looked up at the glittery nighttime sky, and a bright slimmer of a crescent moon beamed down over her.

"Oh, it's the moon!" Kagome said, glad that there was no evil force sucking the life energy out of her friend. She pulled her head out and smiled widely at Angel, a realization coming to her. "THAT's why you're always awake and full of energy at night, isn't it? You get your strength from the moon."

Angel just smiled, standing up and walking towards her large, open closet, as Kagome peered out the window again.

/Wow.. I feel so stupid... living here for four years and not even noticing something like this../ Kagome thought, finally wandering back to the bed.

"I guess I really must be rusty, then," she muttered, looking down sadly at the floor as she sat listlessly on the edge of the mattress.

"Actually, I'm glad you figured it out tonight."

"Hmm?" Kagome looked up after a few moments, and saw Angel wearing a strange, white outfit that looked like a cross between a kimono and some magical-girl's sort of outfit.

"Eh?" Kagome just stared at her, bewildered, as Angel draped the locket around her neck and walked towards the doorway, smiling back at her.

"There's something I've been meaning to check out, and I'd like it if you could help me. So, what do you say? Care to see me in action?"

Kagome just sat there, blinking. What was she supposed to say?

"Um... okay?"

-------------------------------------------

A short while later, Kagome found herself following Angel down the street, and glanced back over her shoulder in the direction of her house.

"Are you sure it was alright for me to leave Chi all alone like that? I'm afraid I won't be any help if I'm just worried all the time," she said, her mind racing with horrifying thoughts of what could happen.

"Don't worry," Angel said cheerfully, and turned to smile at her. "I put a seal on the house. No one will be able to enter or leave it, so she's perfectly safe. Besides, she is asleep, after all."

/Great, she can make seals, too.../ Kagome sighed heavily as she leaned against the single lamppost that stood lit outside the entrance of the nearby park. Even though it was one she knew well, having taken Chi there on several occasions, it seemed rather eerie at nighttime. Hitching up Angel's shoulder bag that she had been told to carry (for a reason she still couldn't figure out yet), she looked over at her friend as the golden-haired woman looked up at the chained gates.

"Um, why are we investigating the park?" Kagome said finally, beginning to tire of all the secretiveness. "We know WHY it's closed...they're re-paving all the sidewalks."

"Oh, we're not investigating the park," Angel said in a matter-of-fact voice, as she turned and smiled at Kagome yet again. "We're just picking something up along the way."

And without another word, she leapt up effortlessly and cleared the 8 foot iron-wrought gate, landing gracefully on her toes on the other side.

Kagome's jaw dropped, and so did the bag, as she just stood there in shock. "Since when were you able to do that?!" Kagome blurted out. Not that this kind of feat was new to her...hardly. It was just that she hadn't known anyone in this time to be able to have such abilities, especially Angel.

Angel just blinked, peering at her through the bars, then an embarrassed smile crept across her face. "Well, to tell you the truth, I've always been able to do that," she said shyly, rubbing the back of her neck.

Kagome just groaned, looking down at the ground, but before she could say anything, there was a whoosh of air and grass from the other side of the gate. Looking up to see what it was, she saw Angel kneeling before a large, fierce looking brown wolf that stood in front of her.

"There's my good boy... have you been waiting long for me?" Angel crooned, and rubbed the overlarge beast between it's ears. It whined happily, then sniffed the air suddenly, it's big yellow eyes falling upon Kagome.

Kagome just stiffened, and was glad there was a tall, metal gate standing between her and the animal. "Nice... doggy..."

But instead of growling or trying to attack, it just looked at her almost quizzically, as though sizing her up.

Angel chuckled. "Don't worry, he's my friend; he's not going to hurt you," she said sweetly, and patted the creature on the head again, who's eyes were still locked on Kagome. "Unfortunately, he stands out so much I've had to let him stay here instead, so he couldn't go wandering off at night.. which is really when I need him the most."

"Ah-huh," Kagome replied, still staring back at the beast, who whimpered slightly again and looked up towards Angel expectantly.

"Oh, right.." Angel said, as though she had been in a daze. "Almost forgot..." She raised her right hand towards the gate, almost lazily it seemed, and her hand began to glow softly, emitting a wavering blue light. The lock on the gate began to shine as well, and Kagome watched in awe as the large iron lock unlocked itself, falling loose on the heavy chain it bound together. The chain itself collapsed around the gate bars, falling into a heap on the ground.

Angel just smiled, walking toward the gate and pushing it open, letting the wolf bound out in front of her. "There we go--What do you think, Kagome?"

Kagome herself was speechless, and a strange feeling was beginning to well up in her stomach as she lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Angel...? How come you never told me about yourself before?"

"What?" Angel asked back, looking back at her in confusion. "I've told you everything about me. You've lived with me for four years, after all--"

"Not this, you haven't!" Kagome retorted, and didn't realize that she was now shouting. "What about all this?! Why didn't you tell me about being able to leap around the place like a superhero, and having magical powers and an enchanted locket and a giant wolf bodyguard?" She now felt her hands clenching into fists, and even the humongous wolf backed away slightly. "Didn't you trust me enough to tell me all of this?! Or did you think I was so stupid not to notice that you didn't need to bother?"

Clenching her eyes shut as tears began to well up inside them, she heard a soft whining, then something warm touching her hand. She looked down to see the wolf nuzzling her hand, and he gave it a small lick.

"Kagome..." Angel just stood there, bewildered, then knelt down next to the wolf as she smoothed down the fur on the back of it's neck. "Of course I trusted you.. it had nothing to do with that..." Her eyes softened as she looked up at her ebony-haired friend, who returned her gaze. "I just... didn't think you wanted anything to do with it."

This just confused Kagome even more. "Why wouldn't I? I'm your friend...of course I'd want to help you..," she said meekly, looking down at the ground again.

"I know that. I just thought it would hurt you too much."

"Why would it--" Kagome began to argue, but stopped herself as she realized it. "You mean, because of...oh..," she said softly, and looked up at Angel. "But... it doesn't hurt me. In fact...," she blushed slightly, looking away from the two pair of eyes studying her. "To be honest, I kind of miss it. All the danger, and excitement, and mystical powers... I haven't been able to do any of that since the well was destroyed."

Angel smiled softly, and shared a glance with the wolf before standing back up again. "Well, do you think you're up for it tonight?" She said, smiling wider and patting the wolf on the head. "There's something I've been wanting to show you, and I think you'll be pretty surprised..."

"Oh but first..." she continued, and looked down at the wolf, raising her finger. "Time for proper introductions," she said cheerfully. "Kagome, this is Kiba. Kiba, this is Kagome. You're going to be her escort."

"Escort?" Kagome asked, looking down at the huge beast who was no smaller than an African lion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Angel began, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Jumping isn't usually the way I get around. The only way you'd be able to keep up with me is to ride on his back."

Kagome blinked, looking down at the wolf. Sure he was large, but nowhere quite near large as the two-tailed demon cat she was more used to riding. "Are you sure I won't be too heavy for him?"

The wolf whimpered loudly, nudging his head against her knee.

"Don't worry, he's a lot stronger than he looks, which is really saying something," Angel said, pulling out her locket from under her robes and looking down at it. "Besides, he's quite fond of you, I think," she added, smiling wistfully.

"Ohh, well he is kind of cute," Kagome admitted, squatting down and scratching him between the ears, looking into his large, glistening eyes. "But... you know what's strange..?"

"What's that?" Angel asked, as the locket began to shimmer softly red again.

Kagome rubbed the wolf on the head, and he returned her gaze with an oddly soft look. /It's so weird... I feel like he's so familiar to me, somehow...and it's almost like he knows _me_, too../

"Uh, never mind, it's nothing, really," Kagome lied, patting Kiba on the head once more and standing up. "It's just silly--huh?" Her friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Angel?" Kagome called out, looking around, then, as an odd thought came to her, looked down at the wolf. "_You_ wouldn't happen to know where she went, would you Kiba?"

The large animal woofed once, and without any warning to her dived between her legs from behind her and leapt up, picking her up onto his back. Kagome yelped in surprise, but held on tight as the beast darted quickly down the street, carrying her more into the darkness. Clutching the shoulder bag with one hand and holding on to the beast's neck with the other, Kagome tried glancing ahead to see where they were going, but all she could see was blurry darkness.

/Wow, he's fast../ she thought in amazement. /I don't think even Inuyasha was ever this fast../ But she yelped again moments later as the beast leapt high into the air, clearing a high fence, and after landing finally came to a stop.

"Well, haven't done that in a while," she said somewhat shakily as she slid off Kiba's back, but she was almost laughing. "To think I used to be so used to doing that." Sighing lightly and brushing her now tussled hair back with her fingers, she got a chance to take in their surroundings. It was the front gate of the day-school where Chi was enrolled.

/Whoa, we got _here_ that fast? It's halfway across town../ she thought in awe, thinking of the ride that seemed barely a few minutes long.

She smiled down at Kiba. "Good job, Kiba. I just hope this is where we're supposed to be," she added anxiously. Kiba just wagged his tail and seemed to smile at her, then she saw as his ears perked up, and he looked off into the small thicket of trees across from them.

"Kagome, over here!" she heard a very familiar voice shout, and she followed Kiba as he dashed over to Angel, who stuck her head out from behind a tree and smiled at the two of them.

"Hey, how'd you get here before us?" Kagome asked, jogging over to her. Angel just smiled sheepishly again as they stepped into the small wood.

"It's nothing really," she said, but her expression turned more serious as she crouched over the ground. "It looks like I was right after all," she said ominously, looking down at the dirt. Kiba leaned in, sniffing the spot carefully, then growled slightly, looking back up at Angel.

Kagome looked down at the spot, which didn't seem that unusual to her at all. "What's wrong? I don't see anything. Just dirt."

Angel beckoned for her to come closer, and Kagome squatted down, taking the bag off her shoulder.

"Look," she said, and held her hand out over the spot, closing her eyes in concentration. Her hand began glowing as it had earlier, but this time the color was a tainted, hazy purple color.

"It's the aura of a demon," Angel said deeply, and looked up at Kagome. "You mean, you haven't learned how to track demons like this yet?"

Kagome looked down at the ground shamefully, feeling her throat tighten ever so slightly. "Well, the only thing I ever had to find was the jewel shards...and that feeling always just came naturally to me. Inuyasha and the others were always better at sensing demons; I never _had _to learn how to," she explained sadly.

Kiba whined sadly, resting his paw on her knee. She smiled at him, and put her own hand on top of it to pet it.

As she did though, a small instance of memory flashed in front of her eyes. It was of someone holding her hands, and they had the same warmth that Kiba had just then. But the memory was gone before she could tell what or who it was.

"What...?" Kagome started to ask, and looked up at Angel questionably. She just smiled again.

"Something wrong?" she asked, in a way that made Kagome think she knew something had happened.

"Uh, sort of... but, it's nothing really," she said meekly, wondering just what it was Angel was thinking. "Anyway, is this what you wanted to show me, that there's a demon around here?"

"No, actually, that's just something we're going to have to watch out for," Angel said, straightening up and throwing a loose strand of hair back over her shoulder. "I've been keeping track of this one for a while, and lately he seems to be drawing up a lot more energy than usual, like it's planning on doing something."

/That doesn't sound good.../ Kagome thought, and looked back down at the ground again, but another thought struck her, and she gazed up at her friend again. "Wait...'this one?' Does that mean you're like a demon hunter or something?"

Angel looked at her quizzically for a moment, then laughed. "Something like that, I guess. I don't really hunt them down, I just make sure they don't cause any trouble for people, that's all. Most demons these days are so weak and so few that it's not really necessary to exterminate them... they're just trying to survive."

"But, what if there are some really dangerous or strong ones? Wouldn't you _have_ to get rid of them?"

Angel just shrugged, looking off into the trees. "All the dangerous ones have already been sealed away for the most part, either by myself or by a Priest or exorcist of some sort. Most others who come along know now they can't make a living in this age and day, because there are too many people now who would notice and just try to expose them or kill them. Even if they were extremely strong, they'd never risk causing any trouble if they want to live a peaceful life--or live at all, for that matter."

Kagome looked down at the spot on the ground again. "That's not what Inuyasha would think, I'm sure. He'd kill almost any demon if it was dangerous enough to want to hurt people."

Just then, Kagome heard a slight growl, followed by a snort. She looked down at Kiba, who was looking away from Kagome almost hurtfully.

"What? Is that what you think too?" Kagome asked laughingly, but Angel chuckled and looked down at the beast.

"Well, I don't think that's quite it..." Angel said, walking over to pet Kiba, but he slinked away from her outstretched hand broodingly as he walked away from them, going deeper into the thicket.

Kagome watched him trot off, flicking his tail irritably, and she could have sworn his light growling sounded like grumbling.

"It's amazing how almost human he is..." she wondered out loud, following Angel as she started after Kiba. "I wonder what got him so grumpy all of a sudden---"

Suddenly, Kiba's moody growl rose into a louder, much more dangerous one, and Angel threw her arm out to stop Kagome from going past her.

Angel glared at the spot beyond where Kiba was staring, her voice low and warning as she spoke. "It's him."

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Disclaimer: I do not own anything Inuyasha related, except for my own original characters--Like Kiba(well, sort of, anyway...muahaha!!)clears throat I mean, uh, keep reading!! Heh, please review, Thank you!! --Hikari-san


	6. Chapter 6

---------------CHAPTER vi--------------------

At the same time that Angel and her mother were running about the city, across town safe in her warm, quiet house, Chi opened her eyes to her dark bedroom. Whimpering like a puppy, she crawled under her covers and came back out holding a large, soft and fluffy stuffed dog. It was one she had picked out herself because of it's small, pointy ears that resembled her own.

"Come on, Yuki," she said sleepily, hold it by one leg as she rubbed her eye with the other, and climbed out of her large, cushy and frilly bed. Holding the dog in her teeth as she turned the doorknob with both her hands, she tottered out into the hallway, turning right and heading towards her mother's bedroom. "Let's go sleep with Mama again... I don't wanna have another scary dream."

But when she pushed open the already ajar door to Kagome's room, she saw that it was dark and empty.

"Mama?" she called out timidly, her ears twitching to try and pick up any sound, but her mother did not answer back. She pulled Yuki up to her mouth and whimpered, sounding even more like a sad little puppy. "Ma-ma?"

"Your Mama isn't here, Little One."

Chi gasped, a tiny growl escaping from her throat unexpectedly, as she looked around the room for the source of the unknown, feminine voice. "Who's there?" she asked bravely, although clutching Yuki even tighter.

"Over here; by the window...look."

Chi look straight across the room at the window, the curtains of them tied back loosely against the wall. There sitting on the bare windowsill was a black cat---the very same cat she had seen at her school the other day.

Chi's mouth widened into a large grin. "Kitty! It's you! You can talk!!" she squealed happily, running over to the creature as Yuki swung by it's tail in her tiny fist. "How did you get in here?"

The cat looked up at her wisely, its emerald green eyes shining in the darkness. "I had to break the seal that your friend put over the house. It would have been impossible for me to get in otherwise," it stated clearly, but it's mouth did not move.

Chi just blinked, hugging the stuffed dog close to her again. "Seal? What's that?"

"It's something that keeps strong forces from entering or leaving a place," the cat said, tilting it's head slightly, as though wondering why Chi didn't already know this. "It was put up to prevent YOU from leaving."

"Why would I wanna leave?" Chi asked matter-of-factly. "I like my house."

The cat just tilted it's head even more. "For someone with as much power as you, you do not seem to know very much about the mystical forces that keep the world in balance."

This time Chi was the one to tilt her head. "I don't get it..." she said, blinking her big eyes. "What do you mean, Kitty?"

The black cat drooped it's head, a sweat bead forming. "I cannot believe THIS is the daughter of such a great priestess," the cat groaned, looking up at the girl again.

Chi puffed out her cheeks angrily. "I'm still learning stuff. I'm only four," she whined, clenching Yuki even tighter. "And my Mama's not a priestess anymore. She used to be, but she said she stopped being one so she could take better care of me."

"No wonder," the cat said oddly, casting a glance aside. "She gave it up then, because of you. That's why her powers are weakened."

Chi fumed again. "My Mama's not weak! She's the best mama in the world!!"

"I'm afraid she HAS weakened, Little One, and that is why even she is ignorant to the approaching danger to this world," the cat said firmly. "If she does not have the power to protect you from it, then you must go where you can be safe from harm."

Chi whimpered, her grip on Yuki loosening slightly. "Angel's strong... she can protect both of us from danger---she even saved my Mama's life once, before I was born."

"She is indeed strong, but not nearly strong enough to stop what is certain to happen," The cat stated, glancing outside the window and up at the starry sky, staring directly at the thin crescent moon. "Besides, I am afraid that the time the danger will approach is when she will be at her weakest."

"Also," the cat continued, catching Chi's attention again as she had been looking around distractedly. "She cannot protect you from what is coming. The only ones who can guard you have to be of blood relation to you."

Chi whimpered again at this. "But, my Mama said she doesn't have a family anymore. She left because she didn't want to...bury them?" she guessed, trying to remember the word.

"I'm sure it was, 'burden them,'" the cat corrected her. "But they're not the ones who would be able to hide you well enough. They are only human, after all."

"So? I'm a human too!"

The cat peered deeply at her. "You really do not understand, do you?" it said, in the kindest voice it had used so far. "Have you never wondered why your classmates always tortured you because of how different you look? Because of those?" She glanced up straight at the top of Chi's head.

Chi covered her ears firmly, dropping Yuki to the ground. "I like my ears!! My Papa has ears just like these!"

"Exactly," the cat said nodding. "Little One, do you know what your father was?"

Chi looked down at her in confusion. "He was... a person. A man. A HU-man," she stated clearly, glaring down at the cat.

"Your father is only half a human," the cat stated clearly, peering straight back into Chi's questioning eyes.

The silver haired little girl just frowned. All of this talk was very confusing to her, not to mentioning the fact that it was coming from a cat. "Then... what's the other half of him?"

"A demon."

Chi gasped, and she bent over and picked up Yuki off the ground, then falling back into a sitting position. "No! My Papa's not a demon! My Mama said he was a good person, who always saved her and their friends when they were in trouble, and lots of other people, too!

The cat just sighed, it's mouth actually opening to do so. "He is not a whole demon. He is a half-demon. Which means he is half-HUMAN. The human side of his nature is what causes him to be protective of others...and also I'm sure what drew him to your mother."

Chi just sat on the rug-covered floor, picking at Yuki's long white fur. "I still like my Papa. Even if he is a half-demon... that just means I'm half, too..."

The cat looked down at her sadly, then it's ears perked slightly, as though an idea had stuck her. "Little One, do you remember the dream that you had, right before you first saw me?"

"Um... yeah!" Chi said, snapping out of her gloominess. "The one with the big forest, and the really tall grass and trees. And the pretty man who smelled nice, and had ears just like mine!"

The cat nodded, looking down at her wisely. "Do you wish to go to that place? To meet that man?"

Chi's eyes widened, her jaw dropping slightly. "Really?! Can I really go there?! How do I get there to meet him?" she asked excitedly, bolting up and dropping Yuki to the floor.

"That is simple," the cat said, and it seemed to be grinning. "All you have to do is come with me."

--------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Angel, Kagome, and Kiba stood bracingly in the woods, about to face whatever it was that had so suddenly appeared.

"Careful... it's a Soul Shadow," Angel remarked, glaring at the blurry looking beast that remained partly hidden in the bushes and trees. Kiba backed up closer to them, standing guard at Angel's side, still growling at the intruder.

"What's a soul shadow?" Kagome asked, clutching the shoulder bag tightly with both her hands. She hadn't faced a real demon in quite some time, and the first one in four years just _had_ to be one she had never even heard of before.

"Do you know what a golem is, Kagome?"

"Yeah," she replied quickly, turning to look at Angel. "Does that mean this thing is a puppet like that?"

"Sort of," Angel said, almost uncertainly. "Soul Shadows are created from extremely powerful breeds of demons, as a way to hunt or search an area without dirtying their actual hands."

"So glad you noticed," the creature replied in a deep, growling and hissing voice. "Now that we have been introduced, it is time I wiped your existence from this world!"

/Sure sounds like a normal demon to me.../ Kagome thought scathingly, remembering the tens of dozens of times a weak demon had gone into monologue before getting sliced to bits by Inuyasha and/or Sango and Miroku. But before she could retort anything, a great blast of dark energy shot out from the creature's hands, and Angel pushed her to the ground.

"Be careful!" she shouted, and Kagome looked up to tell her that she WAS being careful, but once again Angel had disappeared.

"Geez, just where does she get to anyway?!" she shouted, and ducked to avoid another blast from the trees.

Kiba lunged at the creature, but it melted to the ground and slithered past him, reappearing behind him and blasting a shockwave out of it's hands so big it blew up a cloud of dirt and smoke as it hit.

"Kiba!!" Kagome cried, and the monster chuckled, but as the dust cleared, the only thing she saw was a gigantic hole in the ground.

"Where did that wretched beast go?" the semi-transparent demon shouted. Able to get a clearer look at it, Kagome saw it was in the shape of an oddly bent human, it's back short and hunched, with it's long claws dragging on the ground as it stood there looking around. The only facial feature it had were the two glowing red orbs that were it's eyes, and as they fell on Kagome, the creature hissed laughingly.

"Is this supposed to be my foe? A weak human who once had the nerve to call herself a priestess?" it laughed, it's voice scratchy and gurgling.

"Hey! Lay off, you ugly excuse for a demon! I just haven't practiced in a while, that's all!!" she shouted angrily, totally forgetting she had no weapon to back up her tough speech.

The creature's eyes narrowed as it seemed to smile. "Is that so? Well, then let me assist you!" he croaked, and raised his large clawed hand, slashing a wave of dark energy towards her. Kagome just screamed, barely managing to jump out of the way, tripping on a root and falling flat on her face. Groaning with humiliation, she could hear the demon laughing heartily behind her.

"Practice indeed! Too bad you don't have any sacred arrows with you!" The demon taunted, waving it's hands in mock fear. "Oh, I'm so terribly frightened of the little human girl who's lost all her power! Hagh-haha!"

/What a creep... and how does he know so much about me anyway? And where the hell is Angel?! Did she just leave me here to fend for myself?/

Suddenly, the demon doubled over in pain, letting out a gut-wrenching moan. "Ugghh... horrible wench. It seems _she's_ doing well against my other half," it moaned, and Kagome glanced over at it.

"Other half.." she started to say, and looking into the woods, could just see two blurred shapes jumping and moving about in the brush... oddly, one of them seemed to be very high up.. maybe on a branch or something. She could even hear the other demon cursing loudly now, in the same, ghastly voice, and Angel grunting as it tried to land a blow on her.

"I get it.. a shadow like a shadow puppet.. that's why she flew off, to take care of the stronger--" she began to say, but barely had time to roll away from another energy blast. "Hey! No fair!" she shouted back. "I wasn't paying attention!!"

"That's the idea, missy," it growled, creeping closer to her, and Kagome scanned the forest floor for anything remotely blunt or sharp. "Too bad your little doggy-woggy ran away with it's tail betwee--Aughh!!"

Before it even had time to finish it's scathing remark, Kiba burst through the demon, slashing it with it's teeth and claws as the ghost-like creature tore cleanly in half, it's torso floating in mid-air as Kiba landed right in front of Kagome.

"Good wolf! You go, Kiba!" Kagome shouted happily as she scrambled to her feet, as though ready to take on the demon with her bare hands now that she had an able bodyguard.

But the demon just gave a horrible chuckle, and right before their eyes it melded back together, it's body like swirling smoke.

"It's useless to defeat me with such minor physical attacks, woman," it growled, putting a hand to its chest pointedly . "The only reason your other friend is having any luck is because, unlike you, SHE possesses great spiritual energy."

"I have great spiritual energy too!!" she retorted, getting quite annoyed at all the cheap shots he was taking. "You're just LUCKY I don't have a bow or arrow with me!! You'd be dead before you even realized what hit you!!"

"Ha! Then it's my fortune that you DON'T have one, now isn't it?! Farewell, my foes!!" he yelled, letting out sweeping a blast with both his claws, making it so large and fast that neither of them had time to dodge.

"KAGOME!!"

Kiba lunged in front of Kagome as the force of it threw them backwards, saving her from the brunt of the attack as they fell back to the ground.

"Kiba...!" she cried, pushing herself up to look, as the wolf appeared motionless, sprawled out on the ground as it lay bruised and battered.

/That voice I heard...who's was it? Was it Kiba...? It sounded so familiar.../

The demon laughed even louder, bent over in joyous pain. "How devoted! Giving up his own life to save the helpless little girl!!"

The creature was so amused by this action that Kagome had enough time to crawl over to Kiba without worrying about another attack coming too quickly. "Oh, Kiba..." she said, softly, stroking his singed fur. But his chest was rising slowly, and with a deep, fear-inducing growl, staggered slowly to his feet, bracing himself in front of Kagome.

Kagome smiled in relief. "I guess Angel was right, you are strong, aren't you?" she said comfortingly, and stood up beside him, but the giant wolf shifted his weight, glancing back at her as he stood directly in front of her again.

/He really _is_ devoted.../ Kagome thought, looking down at him sadly. /But he can't do anything except guard me from those attacks... he'll be shredded to bits...!/

"Well, well, looks like the puppy still has a wittle fight weft in him," the creature said scathingly, finally ceasing it's laughter.

It's body then started glowing with an awful red power, it's eyes shining even more malevolently, and Kagome could feel the wind being sucked in from all around her towards the glowing demon. "But I'm afraid neither of you will be able to withstand my ultimate force!!"

"Com on, Kiba, we have to run!" she shouted at the wolf, still not entirely sure if it could understand her or not. But for some reason, her feet remained planted to the ground, as if the demon's power had frozen her to that spot.

Kiba just gave a soft grunt, just bracing himself even more as he glared straight ahead at the enemy.

"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll protect you."

There was the voice again, but it seemed to be more inside her head than actually coming from Kiba. And this time, more memories shot through her mind, as clear as though she were reliving them again...the person talking to and near her with the same voice as Kiba's...

"_Hey there, Kagome--"_

"_--you stupid mutt-face! Get away from her!!"_

"_You should just come with me, Kagome...I can protect you--"_

/No way...it couldn't be../

-----------------------------------------

Chi yelped as a stray tree branch tugged at her nightgown. "Are we almost there, Kitty?" She looked ahead and saw perfectly, even in the pitch black of the early morning, the small cat standing in the middle of the wooded path in front of her.

"Almost, Little One. You must be patient," she replied, and continued on down the pathway. "It's quite easy to get lost in these woods, even for those of us who can see in the dark."

Strange sounds we coming from nearby, and she was certain she could hear someone calling her mother's name. Her ears perked underneath her blue headband, which she had put on out of pure habit, and she looked off into the woods. "I think my Mama's nearby... is she in trouble, Kitty?"

"She will be fine," the cat called back to her shortly, her own frustration beginning to rise. "She has more than ample protection. Now, we must hurry..."

Chi just sighed grievously, and trudged down the path behind the feline. She hoped it was worth getting in trouble to see this place she had so desperately wanted to go to ever since she had dreamed of it. Clutching the small item she was carrying in her hand, she took a deep breath and carried on, looking at the tiny necklace in her hand. Made of silver and in the shape of an oval, it was emitting a soft, pink light that she was surprised wasn't drawing any attention to them.

/Kitty said to hold on tight to this, and let no one else take it no matter what.../ Chi ran over and over through in her mind, just so she wouldn't forget it, and also to slightly lessen the fear that was creeping over her from being in such a dark, unfamiliar place.

"This is it, Little One. We've arrived."

"Really?" Chi squealed, and ran up to the cat, who was sitting on top of a large stone, looking down into something. But as she reached the small clearing, she realized the cat had to be wrong. She knew where they were now... it was the place just outside the playground of her school where she would escape the torment of the mean children; she even recognized the scrawls and doodles she had carved into the largest tree with her tiny, claw-like fingernails.

"This isn't it," Chi cried sadly, looking around hurtfully. "This is just my secret place... I always go here when I'm at school."

The cat sighed deeply again--Chi noticed she seemed to do that a lot. "Over here, child," the cat called to her, and Chi walked over to the boulder where she was sitting. Looking down to see what she was staring at, she gasped as she found herself looking into a deep pit...the insides of which seemed to be glimmering softly with a strange kind of light she had never seen before.

"What's that?" Chi asked in awe, crouching down and leaning over the edge, her long hair dangling down into the pit.

"That is the entrance into the other world," the cat said calmly, then looked up at Chi. "All you need to do is go through there to reach the other side."

Chi leaned back and looked back at the cat somewhat fearfully, clenching the locket to her chest even tighter. "But...it's really far down," she said, trying to muster up as much bravery as she could at the moment.

"It won't seem that far down once you inside. All you need to do is jump in."

The golden-eyed girl just whimpered again, looking down into the depths.

/You have to go there... you wanna see Papa../

Scrunching up her face in determination, she stood up straight, clenching the necklace tightly. Standing there for forever it seemed, she noticed it wasn't as dark anymore, and looked up to see the first glimmer of the sun peeking through the trees.

"You have to hurry! The portal will vanish at sunrise...take your chance now!" the cat exclaimed, a slight growl in its voice now.

Chi glared down at the pit, her brow furrowed, ready to leap in, when another voice called out to her, stopping her.

"Chi, no, don't!! It's dangerous!!"

The young girl looked up to see a familiar blond woman running towards her in the distance...although to Chi, it almost looked like she was floating, and she seemed to be approaching very fast...

"No, do not hesitate, you must go, now!!"

Before Chi could even make up her own mind, a pair of hands pushed her forward, and without a sound she stumbled into the depths of the hole, the glittering light surrounding her as she fell.

------------------------------------

Angel stood and watched as the remains of her enemy evaporated through the air, sparkling menacingly. Taking deep, steadying breaths, she turned her head towards where she had left Kagome, and she could hear horrible laughing coming from the demon.

/I better go stop it before Kiba gets hurt.../ she thought, and was just about to leap off in that direction, when a surge of energy suddenly shot through her mind, coming from directly behind her.

/That energy... it can't be--- and wait, is that Chi with them?!/

Just as she turned to go to Chi's aid, she felt a sweeping wind coming from behind her and felt a tremendous rising energy, which could only mean the other half of the demon was readying it's strongest attack.

/They'd never be able to withstand that kind of force without me...But if Chi is in danger, Kagome would never forgive me for abandoning her...I'D never forgive me.../

_/Just go--I can take care of this guy.. I WON'T let him hurt her../_

Angel smiled sadly as the voice echoed in her head. /Just be careful...Kiba../

_/Hey, when are you gonna stop calling me that, anyway..?/_

/Maybe when YOU tell HER what your _real_ name is.../

_/Hmph... always gotta make things hard for me, don't you, Boss?/_

Angel smirked, and rushed away from the site, even as the energy mass behind her grew even greater. /I just hope your bite's as good as your bark../

_/Heh, you know it is.../_

As Angel reached closer to the site where she sensed the two energies coming from, she could just see Chi leaning over something that was on the ground, and her insides clenched. She knew exactly where they were standing.

She felt her feet leave the ground as she picked up speed, rushing toward them as fast as she could. "Chi, no, don't!! It's dangerous!!" she called out in desperation, hoping to stop her.

Chi looked up at her questionably, but Angel watched in horror as the black cat that had been sitting next to her rose up and shaped itself into it's real form, pushing Chi down into the depths of the portal.

"NO!!" Angel cried, just as she reached the spot, and the creature darted away from her into the safety of the woods as the sunlight shone upon the spot where the pit had been, causing it to vanish in front of her eyes... leaving nothing but the flat surface of the ground.

"I'm sorry, but it seems YOU will have to wait," the voice called out to her in sincere apology. Without a second word, the creature and it's aura vanished into the sunlight, leaving no trace behind them.

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A/N: okay, just the let you know, the cat DOES have a name, lol. I'm just not telling you what it is yet. Supsense and all that.. Besides, how cute is it that she just named it Kitty?! I love chibi characters-----anyway, anyone looking for some Kagome-ai fluff can look forward to the next chapter..! Although I warn you, it won't be that much, because I don't support that pairing as well.. not that I don't love that character! squee heheheee.. curious? you'll just have to keep reading to find out, won't you? XP

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Inuyasha related, except for my own original characters (possibly excluding Kiba at this point..)-- Please review, Thank you!! --Hikari-san


	7. Chapter 7

-------------CHAPTER vii----------------------

Angel fell to her knees in front of the spot where the portal had been. "She's gone..."

Suddenly, she felt her body began to tremble, and knew it wasn't from grief. Turning her head sharply to look at the sunlight, the horrible truth set in her mind.

/Damn it...! If it weren't for that demon, I could have made it to show Kagome in time...And now Chi's already over there!!/

Doubling over in frustration, she could feel her pulse resonating strongly throughout her whole body. Glaring down at the ground, she could only sigh deeply.

/Well, at least Kagome will have _someone_ to cheer her up before I can tell her what happened... Although it _wasn't_ the surprise I was planning on.../

------------------------------------

"Ugnh..." Kagome groaned as the surprisingly bright sunlight woke her from unconsciousness. Squinting to see through the cloud of dust, she could barely make out the figure of a person kneeling over her. She couldn't see his face; the only thing she could even tell though the blinding light refracting in the dust was that it was a man, with long hair draping over his shoulders.

/No way... now I know I'm dreaming../ "Inu..yasha?" she whispered.

She heard a slight scoff, and as the dust settled, realized the man's hair was too dark to be Inuyasha (at least when it wasn't a new moon), but he was grinning. "Still dreaming about that mutt, huh, Kagome?"

/Great, now I'm really going crazy...that can't possibly be who I think it is.../

But sure enough, as the dust finally disappeared, she saw the thin-looking young demon still grinning at her, his fangs glinting in the light as his stone blue eyes softened.

"I told you I'd protect you." He held out his hand to her, and she scanned him over once again before thinking about taking it. Even though the clothes were different that the ones she had always remembered him in, it was definitely the same wolf demon.

"Koga...," she stuttered, and she let him pull her up off the ground easily, as though she were as light as a piece of paper. She put a hand to her head as she steadied herself on her feet; she felt like she could fall back down any second.

Koga's face fell slightly as he watched her stumble on the spot. "Are you okay, Kagome? You look like you're about to pass out," he said, holding his hands out as though trying to steady her

"Just shut up and stop spinning, the both of you," Kagome grunted, and reached out to grab onto him, but her hand closed on thin air, and she fell forward.

Catching her quickly, Kagome just slumped into Koga's arms, moaning slightly from the dizziness. Glad that she wasn't aware enough to see him blush, Koga cleared his throat and gently pushed her up straight, his hands resting on her shoulders as he stood in front of her. "I guess that jerk of a demon was right.. you really have lost your touch to get wiped out from a tiny blast like that."

"Tiny? Felt like a hurricane...," Kagome grumbled, looking down at the ground and trying to shake her mind clear. "What happened to it, anyway?"

"Got 'em. I told you I'd take care of it," Koga said proudly, and Kagome had to chuckle at this.

"Well, apart from being in a completely different era and all, you haven't changed one bit," she said in a coarse voice, her throat having gone dry, and he just grinned even wider as she looked back up at him. "But, since when do you keep your hair down like that? Didn't you always keep it pulled back?"

"Huh?" Koga blinked, letting go of her with one hand and putting it to his head, feeling the loose hair hanging far past his shoulders. "Oh, yeah, I guess that happens when I change back.. I forget that all the time--"

Kagome frowned, looking at his mild expression, as though he had said noting unusual. "Change back? What do you mean?"

"Uh...," Koga muttered, a sweat bead forming on his forehead. "Don't you remember at all? I saved you from that blast."

"No, Kiba saved... me..." Kagome said slowly, and Koga just raised his eyebrows, looking at her narrowly. "Wait... you mean that really _was_ you?!"

"Well, yeah," Koga stated simply, smiling again. "Who else beside the mutt would risk his life for you like that?" he asked her confidently, putting his hands on his hips.

Kagome looked back at him narrowly this time. "Risk his life, huh? I thought he was easy, Mr. I-told-you-I'd-take-care-of-it."

Koga twitched slightly, rubbing the back of his head as he laughed. "Well, you know...he may have seemed tough, but I DID manage to take care of him, didn't I?"

Kagome peered over him again, as though she were still unsure it was actually him. Instead of his usual furry armor, he was wearing a plain villager's kimono, and she also noticed the sword was gone.. along with something else as well.

"Hey, what happened to your jewel shards?" She asked, glancing at his bare arm and legs. "I know you got them back in the end, right..?"

Koga's happy demeanor slipped into seriousness, and he glared away from her, but she continued as more questions popped into her head.

"And just.. how did you get here anyway? What happened to your clothes? And your sword? How come you can turn into a real wolf all of a sudden? And how did you meet Angel?...and--"

"Listen," he growled loudly enough to make her stop, then his voice softened again. "Let's just say... a lot has happened, all right?" he said, and looked at her pointedly. "First we should go find Lady Angel.. there's something you gotta see," he added, turning his head toward the wood where she had been fighting.

/Lady...?/ she thought, staring at the side of his head, when she noticed one _more_ thing that was different about him; his ears were normal shaped, not pointed like she remembered.../Yet he still has his fangs... but it's not just that; he's even acting differently, too/

"Koga..." she started to say, but he grabbed her hand, turning his head and smiling at her in a sad sort of way.

"Come on Kagome, I'll explain everything later, I promise. Let's just go."

---------------------------------------

Reaching the small clearing in the woods just outside the school, Kagome let go of Koga's hand as he began to look around, glancing around the area herself.

"Hey, I remember this place..." she thought, perking up slightly, smiling a little. "Chi showed it to me once; it's where she goes to play sometimes after school."

Koga turned his head toward her and stopped sniffing the air. "Chi? Who's that?"

"Oh, she's..." Kagome started to say casually, but cut herself off, her mouth wide open.

/Hold on a minute, Kagome... how do I know how's he's going to react if I tell him she's mine and Inuyasha's daughter? If he gets upset he might not even speak to me again, let alone want to protect me... plus, it'll break his heart../

"Hmm?" Koga just blinked staring at her odd expression as she stood there silently. "You sure you're okay? I can carry you home, if you're still too weak to stand."

Kagome just waved her hands in refusal, shaking her head quickly and forcing a false smile. "Uh, no, no! Everything's fine!" she blurted out, sweat forming on her brow. Looking back at his worried expression, she just sighed to herself. /God, he IS still in love with me, isn't he...?/

Koga grunted slightly, frowning a little, not quite sure whether to believe her or not. "Okay, if you say so, Kagome," he said, then turned his head sharply as they both heard the faint sound of a twig snapping.

Kagome stiffened, but Koga darted over to the spot almost happily. "Hey, there you are, Lady Angel...! I was beginning to worry about you."

"Oh, it's just Angel--" Kagome sighed, but then saw what Koga was talking to as it came out from behind the trees, sitting down in front of him. A large, almost glowing white wolf stood in front of him, it's eyes a glistening blue color... it looked beautiful, but rather sad.

"Uh, Koga...that's not... ah," Kagome started to say, but then she glanced down at what was hanging around the animal's neck... Angel's heart-shaped golden locket.

"Well, I said you'd be surprised."

Kagome jumped as the familiar voice came from the large white animal, although it's jaw did not move. Kagome crept forward slowly, getting down on her knees as she came eye to eye with the wolf. "...Angel? Is that really you?"

The wolf nodded, looking down shamefully. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I was hoping on telling you about this before it happened...but I guess that demon distracted me--" she trailed off, looking away.

"Yeah, some distraction," Koga muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I haven't had to use that much energy in a while.."

Kagome groaned slightly, getting annoyed again at being kept out of the loop. "Okay, just a minute, you two," she said sternly, standing up and putting her hands between the two of them. "Would someone here like to explain to me what exactly is going on? Just how did Koga get here in the first place? And, what's with all the transformations?!"

Koga and wolf Angel just looked at each other, then Angel stood up on all four legs. She was almost as big as Koga had been as a wolf.

"Kagome, I know you want to understand everything, and I promise I'll tell you," she said earnestly, looking straight up into Kagome's dark eyes. But..." she looked down at the ground sadly again, and Kagome couldn't help feeling that something else was very wrong. "There's something I need to tell you first."

"Wha...what is it?" Kagome asked, fearful of the unbelievably dark and serious tone her light-hearted friend was using.

There was an odd moment of silence, and Angel couldn't bear to look at Kagome as she told her:

"Kagome... Chi is gone."

Another moment of silence, and Kagome just stared down at the creature. "What?" she asked calmly, as though the words hadn't registered yet.

Angel just sighed, closing her eyes. "She's gone, Kagome... she was kidnapped."

Kagome's eyes widened, and she could feel her hands starting to tremble. "What...?" was all she could say again, and she could feel her chest tightening. "Who would...why..."

Koga looked between the two of them, quite unsure of what to do, and was about to say something when Angel continued, and he just closed his mouth with a grunt.

"That place where you're standing right now, Kagome? Last night... a portal opened up, and Chi was pushed inside it... alone."

Kagome looked down at the dirt ground beneath her feet, and for a brief second thought that Angel had to be lying. Clenching her fists tightly, she glared down at the spot. "What kind of portal? Where did it lead?" she asked in a trembling voice.

Angel's jaw clenched, but she knew she had to tell her. "It... led to the feudal era."

Kagome let out a frightened sob, and fell to her knees, Koga kneeling down next to her instantly. "Kagome..!"

She just dug her hands into the dirt, clenching her eyes shut as her whole body began to shake. "You said you put a seal on the house!" she shouted angrily, gasping as another sob escaped. "You said she'd be SAFE!!"

"Kagome," Koga reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she smacked it away with her own, and he backed away hurtfully.

She glared up at the white beast, tears streaming from her eyes as it just sat there in front of her solemnly. "How could you let this happen?! I thought you were powerful and all that, but you couldn't even tell if a little girl was missing!!" She yelled, slamming her fist into the ground.

"Kagome, please, listen...," Angel started to say, but Kagome just shook her head, not wanting to hear any of it.

"I TRUSTED you," she croaked through the tears. "I thought you could protect her, but my daughter is gone and it's your fault!! I hate you!!"

As she got to her feet, she heard a choking gasp from behind her, and just realized what she had blurted out. Not daring to look at him, she just glared down at the ground again as Koga stared at her in disbelief, his eyes wide and shocked.

"What? Kagome... but, when--" he tried to string together the words, but Kagome just shoved past him, not wanting to deal with it right now.

"Just leave me alone, both of you!" she yelled back painfully, her pace quickening into a run.

Angel darted forward, running up beside Koga as she watched Kagome run off. "Wait, Kagome.. there's something else I need to tell you...!"

But her cries fell upon deaf ears as Kagome vanished deeper into the wood, and the wolf just hung her head, sighing deeply. "I wish she wouldn't get so emotional," she grumbled regrettably . She then looked up at Koga sadly, who was just staring down at the forest floor with a numbed expression.

"Koga?" she asked softly, nudging his hand, which hung limply at his side, and he didn't look over at her.

"Angel..." he muttered, his expression still paled as he finally glanced down at her. "Is it true? That girl... is she really her kid?"

Angel looked up at him sadly, her eyes soft. "Yeah. She is."

Koga just let out a deep sigh, which almost sounded like a hoarse growl. "Well... so much for that, I guess..," he said slowly, his voice deep with hurt, and looked over at her again. "Aren't you going to go after her?"

The wolf just shook her head, look back up at him. "No, I need to give her some time to cool down before I can tell her anything... maybe you should go."

Koga grumbled slightly, leaning away from her. "Is.. that an order?" he asked fearfully, knowing as well as any how Kagome was when she got emotional.

Angel's glare hardened, and she frowned at him. "_Now_ it is."

The wolf demon just groaned, drooping his head, then scratching it with his hand. "I'd rather have another go at the demon.."

Angel just snorted, brushing past his leg as she turned and walked towards the other side of the forest. "She needs someone to look after her right now, and I know she wouldn't want it to be me---Besides," she started to add, stopping in her tracks to look up at him. "...you're the first person from that time that she's seen in four years. I know she'd be much more happy to see you just because of that."

Koga groaned sadly, putting his balled fists on his hips. "No, she'd only be happy if I was that stupid mongrel."

Angel just sighed, darting off into the woods, leaving the now angst filled young demon to sort out his emotions. /He's going to have to accept it eventually.. and it might as well be now instead of later./

----------------------------------------

Kagome pushed open the door to her house, letting it slam against the wall before closing it harshly. Trudging up the stairs towards her room, she stopped in front of the open doorway to Chi's room, shuddering slightly, then continued on to her own room.

/I don't have a choice... I'm going to have to find a way to get back there...I have to.../

Pushing her bedroom door open, she glanced around it listlessly, trying to think of what she was supposed to do next. As her eyes scanned over the floor, they fell upon Chi's stuffed dog, lying on the floor right in front of the window, where the girl had left it the night before.

Kagome's lip trembled, and she walked over, picking it up off the ground. "Yuki..."

Clutching the dog close to her, she slid down to the floor, pulling her knees up as she sobbed into the stuffed animal, leaning against the low windowsill. "Chi..."

As her sobbing continued, she heard a pair of footsteps walking slowly toward her room, and the door creaking slightly as it opened more.

"Go away, Angel," she sobbed, not even bothering to look up. Then she remembered that Angel had changed into a wolf, and whoever walked in sure didn't sound like a dog, so she looked up slowly to see who it could be.

There, standing quietly in the doorway and looking down at her sadly, was Koga. This time, the only thing normal about him was the fact that his hair was pulled back up in a ponytail, like she had always seen it. Other than that, he looked less like his demon self than he had before; he was wearing a pair of tattered, tight black jeans, and a denim blue vest with the sleeves torn off over a black sleeveless shirt.

/Wow, it's weird seeing him normal,/ she thought absently, then glanced away from him, her eyes still red and puffy.

"When did you get here?" she asked softly, covering her mouth with the dog, and thinking she hadn't heard the door open.

"Um, a while ago actually," he said, speaking in an oddly calm tone, and he put his hand to the shirt, looking down at himself. "Angel always leaves these clothes here for me when I need them... she thinks I stand out too much in the other stuff," he added gruffly. "I'm still not that used to 'em. They're kind of strange..."

/Not as strange as a wolf demon running around in a very short kimono...at least he didn't have the fur this time.../

"Anyway," he continued, looking up at her again, but she still wouldn't look at him. "I knew this is where you would be. Angel said to look after you."

Kagome scoffed as Koga walked further into the room towards her. "She did, huh?"

She heard him growl lightly, not realizing how close he was. Finally looking up, she saw him crouch down in front of her, halfway kneeling on his knee. Kagome felt her face redden even more as he looked right into her face.

"Listen, I only get to be like this for one day a month, alright? So whatever time I have, I'm gonna spend it around you. You're just gonna have to get over that," he said in a rather matter of fact voice.

"But, why would you want to?" Kagome asked, pulling the stuffed dog down only a little. Koga grumbled again, and snatched it out of her loose grip, examining it as he put it gently down on the floor.

"Because," he growled, but smiled as his features softened, glad he could see her whole face again. "I _like_ being with you. Angel's nice, but, she's my Boss. I'd much rather spend my time with you... I see her all the time."

Kagome's eyes glistened with fresh tears as she gazed up at him. "Koga..."

He just smiled wider, though this time it seemed a little forced, and scooted backwards from her, sitting in a cross-legged position. "And it's not like you have to say anything to me this time, you know. I know you're not in love with me."

This surprised Kagome even more than seeing her best friend turn into a wolf. /He really HAS changed... I know he was always nice to me before, but he was never THIS understanding./

"Koga..." she started to say again, but he cut her off by holding up Yuki to her.

"Oh, and you don't have to worry about your kid, either," he said cheerfully, though his smile was still rather stiff. "Angel already knows how to save her."

"Then, why didn't she tell me?" Kagome grunted, taking Yuki and gripping him rather tightly.

"Um, I'm pretty sure she DID try to tell you. You're the one who ran off, remember?" Koga said matter-of-factly.

"Hmph.." Kagome scoffed hurtfully, picking at the white stuffed animal absentmindedly. "If she wanted to help, she would have tried better to protect her in the first place."

Koga grunted, as though he were about to say something, but they both turned instead to see the presence that was approaching the door. "Oh, hey, you're back.."

Kagome just scoffed at seeing the white wolf, turning away from her hurtfully. Angel just sighed as she walked up to them.

"Kagome," she started slowly, hoping the woman would not bolt away again. "I know I can't say it enough, but I'm so sorry. No one's ever been able to break through any of my seals before. It could only have taken an enormous amount of spiritual energy for someone to get into this house."

"Well that's comforting," Kagome blurted out, getting to her feet, and Koga followed suit, making sure she wouldn't run off.

"Look, Kagome, just listen to her," Koga said impatiently, touching her arm softly. "She's tryin' to explain it to you."

Kagome pushed his hand away, although gently, and sat down on the covers of her bed, staring out towards the window. "Whatever."

This time, the growl came from the wolf, which made Kagome jump a little as she turned to look at it. Even Koga stepped back slightly from the white beast.

"Do you think I'm not worried about her too? That I just don't care!?" She yelled, the growl still resounding in her throat. "I love Chi as much as you do... I watched her grow up since she was born in this house. You think her and you don't mean anything to me?!"

Kagome looked upon her transformed friend as the wolf lowered her head; it was as if she wanted more than anything to cry.

Koga just groaned to himself, putting his arms on his hips. / NOW who's the emotional one..? I swear, sometimes she's just as bad as Kagome.. no wonder she's friends with her../

"The portal...," Angel continued shakily, in a slightly calmer voice. "I was trying to tell you that it only appears at night. During the day it may be concealed, but it's still there," she said, raising her head to look at the woman. "Once the sun sets it'll appear again. That's when we can go to her."

The large white wolf turned to walk out of the room, but not before Kagome had scrambled off the bed and run over to her, fresh tears flowing from her eyes.

"Angel, wait, I'm sorry!" she blurted out, fresh tears flowing from her eyes, and the wolf turned it's head to her.

Koga just shook his own head in grievance, sighing quietly. "Spoke too soon.."

"I'm... sorry. I know.. that you care about Chi, and.. you'd never want her to get hurt...," she stuttered, rubbing the tears from her face furiously. "And..," she added, more quietly. "I didn't mean it, when I said I hated you.. You the best friend I've ever had in a long time... I could never hate you. I was just... I didn't.."

"I think she gets it, Kagome," Koga sighed, his hands shoved into his pockets. As much as he was fond of the both of them, this was just too tiring for a man to endure.

Angel's wolf jaw turned up into a slight smile, as Kagome just stood there, still sniffling.

"Come on, then. We've got lots to prepare, if you're going back to demon world, that is."

"You're right," Kagome said, with a confident edge in her voice, and she clenched her fists. "They better not lay a hand on my baby if they know what's good for them. I'll show _them _who's lost her powers or not."

Koga smiled, letting out a laugh. "Now that's the Kagome I remember."

-------------------------------------------------------


	8. Chapter 8

-----------------CHAPTER viii---------------------------

Chi opened her eyes to the smell of fresh dew and grass all around her. The last thing she remembered was falling down a long, dark hole... she expected there would be more dirt.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she squinted in the early morning daylight. As her vision came to her, she took a good look around, and was surprised at what she saw. She was sitting in the middle of a large, open field, with tall grass all around her. The air was crisp and clean here, smelling much different than that of the school-yard woods, although she could see large trees indicating a forest off into the distance.

"Where is this place?" she wondered frightfully for a moment, clutching her headband tightly over her ears, but then she remembered. "That's right... Kitty said she was sending me somewhere safe... But, I don't know where this is at all."

Standing up, she took off her headband to rub her ears, her thin nightdress fluttering in the early morning breeze, and she shuddered as she continued to look around helplessly. "Is this where my Papa's suppos'd to be?"

Her ears twitched, and she turned her head towards what looked like a flat dirt road leading away from the woods. A group of strangely dressed young children were following a slightly older boy, wearing similar clothes, and all of them were laughing.

Chi perked up, and started towards them, forgetting her scarf was still in her hand. /Maybe they know who my Papa is.../

As she quickened her pace towards them, one of the smaller children, a girl no older than Chi, turned at the sound. She gasped, tugging the hem of the older boy's garment. He and the other half dozen or so children stopped in their tracks as the girl pointed at Chi, and their laughing ceased.

Chi bounded up to them happily, stopping a few feet away from them, unfazed. "Hello," she said sweetly, completely oblivious.

"Who the heck are you?" the older boy barked, brandishing the stick he was carrying like a weapon.

"My name's Chi," she said brightly.

"Big brother, she's scary," the little girl cried, still clinging to the boy's kimono, and the other children began murmuring as well.

"What are you, some kind of demon?" One of the other boys shouted, and the rest gasped and started backing away.

"Well.. no..," Chi said, as she just now noticed how strangely they were acting. "I'm a half-demon, like my Papa."

The little girl shrieked again, and the few children who hadn't backed away in fear braced themselves, all scowling at her. She hadn't noticed some were clutching rocks and sticks in their hands.

"She's a freak of nature!" One of the other boys yelled, and threw a stone at her. Although it landed at her feet, the others that followed did not.

"Ow!" she cried, backing away as she blocked her face from the barrage. One particularly large one struck her on the forehead, and with a yelp she fell to the ground as the children's cries increased.

"Stay away from our village, freak!" The older boy shouted again, as the smaller ones continued to miss as they threw twigs and dirt. "If you don't, my Pa will kill you _and_ your kin, you damn demon!"

Chi knelt there in the grass, holding her hurt head as tears began to flow from her closed eyes. "Stop...," she whined, thinking this was much worse than anything that had happened at her school, but more rocks came flying as she stayed put.

She didn't even notice the odd scent in the air as a large roar came from behind the children, followed by their screams.

Frightened, she pried open her eyes a moment or so later to see the group fleeing back down the road, crying and yelling for their parents as they ran off. Standing where they had been was, what looked like to her, an enormous cat, with large, saber-like fangs and glowing red eyes. She felt instinctively she should be afraid of it, but after a moment it looked down at her with it's large eyes, which seemed to soften.

"You're a... nice kitty?" she asked softly, and hopefully, and it just swished it's two tails at her as Chi stood, glancing up at it in awe. "You're even bigger than the lions and cheetahs back at the Zoo."

Her natural curiosity getting the better of her, she walked slowly up to the creature, her hand outstretched. The giant cat just waited patiently as Chi approached, and gently stroked its long, soft fur around it's neck. The cat leaned gently into her hand, purring softly as she did so.

Chi gleamed, and stood back to get another look at the creature, but as she did, large flames seemed to emerge from nowhere, swirling all around the beast. Chi barely had time to react to this before the fire vanished, and now sitting in front of her was what looked like a much tinier version of the great cat, minus it's large fangs. It was now even smaller than a normal sized cat.

The creature blinked twice, its large red eyes shining, and it gave a high-pitched mew.

Chi gasped in awe of the most adorable cat she had ever seen--even more so than the last one. "Big Kitty! Is that you? That's a neat trick!"

The tiny cat mewed happily again, and jumped up onto Chi's shoulders, purring and nuzzling her neck. Chi giggled as it's two swishing tails tickled her bare shoulders. "You saved me, Kitty. You're even nicer than the other Kitty I met.."

She reached up to pet it again, and just then realized she was still holding her headband. "Oh," she said, as both she and the cat looked down at it. "I guess that's why they were scared of me.. I musta forgot."

Tying the cloth back over her ears quickly, the cat jumped down from her shoulders and just looked up at Chi wistfully. After smoothing out her tussled bangs, she bent down and picked up the cat, holding it in both hands at arm length as she looked at it.

"Do you know where my Papa is?" She asked innocently, as though completely sure this cat could understand her perfectly.

The two-tailed cat mewed happily again, and leapt out of Chi's grasp, bounding towards the forest before stopping to turn and look at her.

Chi stepped up behind the cat, gazing into the depths of the dark and hazy forest. "You want me to follow you, Kitty?" she asked in a unsure voice, and the cat mewed it's reply, bounding forward again.

Chi clenched her tiny fists, taking a deep breath as she followed the tiny creature towards the wood. / I guess if there's something scary, Kitty can just scare it right back/ she thought rationally.

/I hope I can find my Papa soon... that'd make Mama really happy.../

------------------------------------

Deeper into the woods, a pair of travelers sat in the middle of a small clearing, waiting for their breakfast of freshly caught fish to be cooked.

One of them, a small fox demon with bushy, tied back red hair, gazed longingly at the food. "Come on fish, cook faster! I'm starving after all that work we did last night."

His companion, a young woman, walked out from behind the bushes, where she had just finished changing from her demon slaying attire into a traveler's kimono. "Be patient, Shippo," she scolded him automatically, as she let down her long, ebony hair from its high ponytail to tie it into a lower, more comfortable one. "You'll burn yourself if you're not careful."

The young fox quickly pulled back his outstretched hand from the fire, and snorted at it. Sighing, he stood up on his tiny legs and walked around the fire, glaring at it, over to the woman's large traveling bag, poking at it with his foot. "You know, Sango, those villagers weren't very generous... in fact, they seemed kinda stingy. They at least could have been a bit more thankful; they weren't that poor of a village."

The woman sighed as she sat down, unwrapping the satchel and looking at it's sparse contents. "I guess they were mad because we couldn't stop most of the damage that enormous demon inflicted. It would have been easier if I could have had Kirara's help...we'd have gotten there sooner, as well."

Shippo just scoffed, kicking the flap of the green cloth back over their meager earnings, which was mostly unwanted clothes. "Well, they didn't have to be so rude about it, either. We DID save their lives, after all."

The woman raised her eyebrow at the fox, grinning slightly. "Oh, WE did, did we? I seem to recall you running to hide under a cart when it spat your foxfire attack right back at you."

Shippo flinched slightly, putting his hands on his hips, his large and fluffy tail flicking as a sweat bead formed on his brow. "I--I was just retreating to somewhere quiet to plan my next strategy on him.. one which obviously did not involve my foxfire." Looking around, he drastically tried to think of something to quickly change the subject. "So, where do you think Kirara went, anyway? She should have been back by now, right? She's been gone since last night."

Sango looked up at the early morning sky through a gap in the trees. "I'm not even sure why she ran off like that in the first place... she seems to be doing that quite a lot, lately."

A short distance away, the small cat named Kirara walked briskly through the forest brush, glancing behind every now and again to make sure that the half-demon girl that had followed her was keeping up.

Chi groaned as another branch snagged at her nightgown, and she snatched at it with her tiny claws, breaking off it's sharp tip and throwing it to the ground. "Are we there yet, Kitty?" she whined tiredly, then suddenly stopped in her tracks. Sniffing the air curiously, she picked up the strong scent of a fire, as well as the food it was cooking.

Kirara stopped and looked back at her, and the girl just sighed, looking down at the cat. "I'm hungry," she stated, more or less to herself. "I wish I had breakfast.."

Looking ahead, she could see the thin plume of smoke rising through the trees, but her last experience in this strange place had at least made her a bit more cautious.

Suddenly, though, the small cat darted foward, towards the campfire and whoever had started it.

"No, Kitty, wait!" Chi cried, and followed Kirara only until she was able to see whoever was there from a safe distance. Finally able to get a good look at them, she could see it was a very pretty woman, and a small, odd looking boy with red hair.

"Hey, look, there's Kirara!" Shippo exclaimed happily as the cat came darting up to the camp. The cat mewed happily at him, then walked past him to the woman.

Sango bent down to Kirara's level, scratching her behind the ears as she smiled with relief. "Now, just where did you go off to this time, huh?" she asked softly, as Kirara just closed her eyes contently and purred.

Chi watched all this from the safety of the tree she was hiding behind. The woman did look pretty, but she and the boy were wearing the same type of strange clothes as the children had, so she didn't want to take any chances. When the woman turned away, Chi saw the cat turn and look at her pointedly, but the girl shook her head furiously.

/They look nice, but, what if they really are mean like those kids are..?/ she thought cautiously, for once, glancing at the surroundings of the small camp. /And there's a big boomerang-thing against that tree... I wonder what that is..?/

"Well, since were all here now, that mean's its time for breakfast!" Shippo jumped over to the hearth and pulled out one of the three speared fish.

"Alright, I suppose it's been long enough," Sango admitted, watching as Shippo blew on his fish to cool it, and she delicately pulled her own out of the fire.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Shippo said, waving his fish around to cool it off faster. "That once nice guy at the village said something about this weird demon going around killing other demons. Think we should go after it?"

Sango looked down at her fish thoughtfully, petting Kirara absentmindedly as the cat crawled into her lap. "No, I don't think so. They say its very powerful... killing strong demons without even having to spill any blood. I don't want it to turn into something we couldn't handle if we tried to destroy it by ourselves. Besides, we wouldn't get any money for it unless it attacked a village or something, and so far, I don't think it's even come close to harming a human."

Chi gasped quietly as what they were talking about started to register in her head. /They kill demons for money.. really strong demons.../

Kirara watched impatiently as Chi began to back away from the site, and she mewed loudly, jumping out of Sango's lap. She picked up the third skewered fish with her teeth and darted towards the spot where Chi was.

"Seriously, what's up with her?" Shippo asked, chewing on a mouthful of fish.

Sango furrowed her brow, standing up. "I don't know, but it's beginning to worry me. I'm going to go check it out..."

Chi cringed as she saw the woman stand and come closer, but she looked down at her feet as she heard a small chirp. Looking down, she saw Kirara holding the fish, and she pawed Chi's ankle softly.

"Is that.. for me?" Chi bent down and took the fish from the cat, who mewed with delight. She had never eaten fish like this before, but it did smell very good.

"Kirara! Where are you?"

Chi gasped, and stood up to see the young woman looking directly at her.

"Oh--" The woman uttered with a surprised look on her face, looking down at the small child next to her demon cat.

Dropping the fish, Chi froze, her body trembling. /What if she wants to kill me...? She is a demon hunter, and those kids thought I was a demon../

Kirara mewed up at Sango, looking up at her longingly, and the woman smiled. She knelt down slightly, holding her hand out.

"It's okay...you don't have to be afraid..." she said gently, seeing how obviously scared she was, even if she was strange...but sweet looking, she thought.

"Um..." Chi still wasn't too sure... it might be a trick, after all. She remembered how some of the kids from school sometimes pretended to be nice to her, only to end up playing a nasty joke or getting her into trouble. And this was someone who killed things...she couldn't really be that nice, could she?

Just then, Shippo bounded up and jumped onto Sango's shoulder, surprising both of them. "Hey, what's going on..?" he started to ask, then looked ahead and saw Chi standing there. "Oh, look, it's a little half-demon!" he exclaimed.

With a startled gasp, Chi turned and began to run. /How did he know that? I didn't even say anything../

Sango glared at the fox child as he jumped down to the ground. "Shippo! You scared her!"

"Huh?" Shippo looked around, thinking she couldn't possibly be talking to him. "I scared her? She's bigger than me!"

"She looked terrified, though," Sango said, pointing out the obvious, and started after the girl. "She might be lost. And she's so young...for all we know she's never even _seen_ another demon before."

"Oooh. Opps. Wow, she's really fast though..."

A little too fast. Chi was so scared, that she hadn't realized just how fast she was going, and a trip over a small upturned root almost sent her flying. She skidded hands-first into the dirt with a yelp, and when she came to a stop she pinned herself to the ground, too dazed to move.

She could just hear, however, as something small and light bounded through the coarse grass and dirt up next to her, and looked up to see a very worried looking Kirara standing in front of her, mewing softly.

"Kitty..." She pushed herself up slowly, and reached out to pet it, but turned to see the woman running up to her fast. As she got close enough to help her, though, Chi covered her head with her hands and recoiled into a ball, trembling.

"Please don't kill me!! I just want my Mama!" She cried.

Sango's eyes widened, as she heard the girl sob desperately. She slowly walked next to the girl and put a hand on her forehead, stroking her bangs softly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you," she said quietly, and she helped Chi limply off the ground, looking into her amber eyes, kneeling down to her level. "Why would you think I'd want to kill you?"

Chi sniffed, and rubbed tears and dirt out of her eyes. " 'Cause. I heard you say you kill demons an' stuff.." Truthfully it wasn't exactly what she had heard, but she had at least come to that conclusion. "And... and I'm a half..--"

"We only destroy demons that want to hurt people," Sango said quickly. "And we certainly don't go around killing small children, even if they are half-demons.." She smiled up at her sweetly.

Kirara mewed again, jumping up into Chi's arms, and Chi hugged her tightly.

Sango smiled again. "See? Kirara's a friend of mine. She knows you're not bad. And we're not bad, either."

"This is your kitty?" Chi asked timidly, her golden eyes shimmering. "She saved me before... from some mean kids...She got all big and scary looking, but... she's nice."

The woman blinked. There was something about this little girl that seemed oddly familiar to her, and obviously to Kirara as well. "What's your name?" She asked gently.

"Chi," she said, her tiny voice almost muffled by Kirara's fur.

"Well, my name's Sango," she said, smiling.

Chi held out the cat demon, who just purred. "And this is.. Key-la-la?"

Sango smiled again. "That's right. Do you want to be friends with us?"

"Um..." She looked as though she was actually giving it some thought, but it didn't take too long. "Okay. Can I have that fish? I'm hungry."

Sango just chuckled. "Of course you can."

--------------------------------

Shippo looked at Chi curiously as she walked around the tiny site, examining everything around them. "You sure she's not evil or something?" he asked worriedly, watching as she inspected the giant Hirakoutsu, which was easily four or five times her size.

"Oh, honestly, she's not evil. She's just a lost little girl," Sango explained, as she rummaged through the newly acquired clothes from the village.

"Yeah. A lost little girl who's a half-demon. Which means ONE of her parents is a demon, right?" He pointed out suspiciously.

"Um, actually, my Papa's a half-demon, too," Chi said, and Shippo jumped, not realizing she was listening. "My Mama's just a normal person, though."

Shippo looked thoughtful for a moment. "But wait... if her FATHER is a half demon, and her mother is human...," he squinted his eyes as it took him a moment to come to that conclusion. "Then technically, she's only PART demon! She's not even a half!"

Sango put down the small kimono she was inspecting, looking over at Chi, who was being followed around curiously by Kirara. "That is a little strange, I guess. But then again, there was that whole island we were at once, that had had humans and demons living together? Eventually their children would have been only part-demon, also. Or to be more specific, a third of a demon."

Shippo leaned casually against the tree he was sitting against, folding his arms. "Well, since, you put it that way, I guess she couldn't possibly be that dangerous, if she's barely a third of a demon. I'll allow her to stick around."

"Is that so?" Sango chuckled, then looked back down at the clothes she was holding. "Actually, this one might do it..."

A few minutes later, Chi twirled around happily in the new kimono Sango had found for her. It was plain white, with long wide sleeves, and slightly big for her, but the bright red obi belt Chi had picked out made it fit snugly.

"I never had a kimono before!" Chi exclaimed happily, and she kept twirling about just to see the effect the sleeves made as they flapped in the air.

Sango fingered the now torn and dirty nightgown in her hands. It was made out of a strange material she had never felt before that was thin, but still very soft and sturdy. Then again, the feudal era didn't have polyester blend.

/The way she talks and acts.. even her clothes are a bit strange... I wonder just where this girl came from../ Of course, she had realized now who the girl somewhat reminded her off, but sadly she knew that couldn't be possible. But, then again, stranger things had happened in her lifetime..

A small gust of wind blew through the camp, and looking up, Sango saw storm-clouds beginning to appear high above in the sky. She had been wondering when it was going to rain; it had been cloudy the last couple of nights.

Hearing a small cry, Sango looked over at Chi to see her fumbling around on the ground for something. Instinctively Sango got up to check on her. "What's wrong, Chi?"

"Nothin'," Chi said matter-of-factly, and was smiling again as she turned and held a blue scarf out in her hand. "The wind tried to take my headband, but I got it."

"Oh, well, all right...then--" Sango started to say, but stopped as she glanced at the top of Chi's head.

/Cat... no. _Dog_ ears.../

"Oh," Chi fingered her ears gently, then smiled up at Sango. "Mama said I should always keep my ears covered, but since you know, it's okay," she said cheerfully.

Then there was a tiny cracking sound, and a pinecone fell out of the tree branch above her, smacking her on top of the head. She turned on her heel and growled fiercely in surprise, glaring around, then looked down and saw the culprit. "Oh," she said again, and squatted down to look at it, giggling. "Just a piney-cone." She stood up again and wrapped the headband over her ears once more, beaming up at Sango.

But her small face fell when she saw the expression on Sango's face. "What's wrong, Sango..?"

"Huh? Something wrong?" Shippo piped up, wandering over out of pure boredom, and having missed the whole thing. "Whoa, Sango. Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Sango shook out of her daze, looking back down at Chi again. /Silver hair, gold eyes, dog ears... no, it couldn't possibly be../

Very cautiously, as though not to startle her, Sango bent down on her knees in front of Chi, who looked up at her curiously.

"Chi, what's your father's name?" She asked rather slowly.

Chi shrugged. "I dunno. Mama never told me. Neither did that Kitty who took me here."

"Then... what's your Mama's name?"

"Kagome," she answered cheerfully.

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End file.
